


Oceans Apart

by Sam_Haine



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character Death, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Gratuitous Smut, Heavy Angst, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Unfinished, human!dean, mer!cas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2018-09-03 00:34:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 35,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8689681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sam_Haine/pseuds/Sam_Haine
Summary: What's a merman to do when he finds a human in his waters? Young Castiel never would have dreamed that he'd be capable of such feelings. What would his father say? And what would his brothers think of him? He was about to find out.





	1. The Collision

**Author's Note:**

> Another fic here. I've got exams but can't seem to find the time to study so ...here ya go SPN Fam! Love, Sam.

Chapter One -The Collision 

"Castiel!" The loud and threatening voice boomed, sending heavy waves across the palace of Atlantis. "Do not make me beckon you again; come here at once!" 

Sure enough, the young merman who had never been able to escape his father's wrath on a particular subject, emerged meekly from behind a golden pillar that was encrusted with shiny pearls. His hands were clasped innocently behind his back and his head hung low, his mop of dark brown hair swaying gently with the currents. He kept his eyes on his shimmery ice blue tail, noting how graceful his pale fins moved with passing interest. His bottom lip was clipped gingerly between pearl white teeth as he waited for the obvious scolding that was about to come. 

"Yes father." He muttered under his breath. 

"Castiel, how many times must I have the same conversation with you? I keep telling you of the dangers of your nightly 'adventures' and time and time again you seem to ignore them!" His father, Great King Triton of the seven seas chided, floating threateningly over his youngest son. His bright crimson tail flashed in anger when the boy had the nerve to look sheepish, glancing up at him with those huge aquamarine eyes that would melt any rock hard exterior. 

"Oh father I'm sorry! I was really on my way back home when the explosion happened. There was a loud bang and then a fiery burst of pure white light and then objects just began thrusting themselves into the water!" Young Cas explained, his cute tail fluttering in excitement. He swam circles around his unamused father trying to portray exactly what had happened after the two ships collided with each other. 

"I heard a lot of terrified screams ...And cries of dismay and then, legs began to break below the surface and there they were. Over a dozen stranded humans, in the middle of the ocean! Father, I've never seen anything like it!" 

Triton huffed, clearly not amused by his son's antics. He firmly peeled the boy off of his broad shoulders and placed him in front of himself. Holding those pale, delicate hands in his larger ones, he sighed tiredly. 

"Cassie, I love you, you know that. And I would be invested so much more in your life if the things that you loved didn't involve humans. They're a dangerous breed my sweet child, and the further you are from them, the safer you are. Have you forgotten the Oceanic Invasion of 1912?"

Castiel's shoulders slumped dejectedly as he bowed his head in remembrance and guilt. He felt guilty and sad now. The Oceanic Invasion of 1912 had remained one of the darkest event of the Merpeople's history. A group of Smitherson pirates had taken to the seas, carrying their cannons and nets and harpoons with them. The belief had been that the entire attack had been planned since more groups like the Smithersons had been reportedly attacking other waters across continents. Thousands of merfolk had died that night, leaving behind torn families and a blood red ocean. Castiel himself had not even been thought of back then, but his ancestors had made it their business to tell the tale over and over until it was law, that merfolk stayed away from humans indefinitely. He could have only imagined the terror his people faced at the hands of those vicious two-legs. How dare he mock the plight of all those dead and dying merfolk? What kind of merman was he?

"I'm sorry father, truly I am. I never meant to disregard or disrespect the anguish of my ancestors. It won't happen again." He sighed meekly. His cheeks burned in shame as he felt his father's strong arms wrap around him. 

"I'm not scolding you for that my child. I'm only worried for your safety. If you ever got captured by those hookmen ...I -" Triton's voice broke off, overcome with emotion. 

Young Cassie smiled softly, heart bursting at how much his father cared for him after years of always thinking that the man was only scolding him frequently because he never liked him. He returned his father's embrace and snuggled into the man's strong hold. 

"Don't worry daddy. I promise I won't ever get captured by those men. I'll be safer. I'll be good." 

"Thats my good boy." Triton sighed happily, feeling lighter as the heavy weight of all those years of worrying for his youngest's wellbeing suddenly drifted away with the currents. 

...  
After that tender moment with his father, Castiel had felt much lighter as he traveled through the quiet trench of Nemius. It was a rarely traveled path but it was safe and he loved how cozy it felt. Castiel hummed contentedly through the dark waters, flicking his ice blue tail ever so often, pushing himself forward. He swam in haphazard loops, running his fingers lazily through the shivering ferns and kelp vines that littered the sandy ocean floor. He wondered what his older brothers were up to. They were strong and valiant mersoldiers who fought at their father's side and protected the Kingdom. Cas often wondered whether he should be serving alongside his brothers but knowing that it was not his place to offer up himself, he'd forced himself to be content with waiting until the army called upon him.   
Instead, he bided his time by doing domestic work all around the palace and elsewhere. He would help take care of the elderly merfolk, look after the hatchlings when the usual caretakers needed an extra pair of arms and he even helped the culinary and janitorial staff. Castiel was a rare fish, they'd say. He was possibly one of the most well-trained and kindest merman the Kingdom's ever seen. He figured that was how they came to call him the Precious Jewel of Atlantis. 

Just as he flicked his tail once more to push forward, a glint of bright gold sank past his face, just touching his nose as it submerged further into the briney depths. He perked up with interest before dashing after the thing. Slender fingers hooked it before it touched the floor, bringing it up for closer inspection. The thing felt heavy, and looked like a tiny necklace. Small gold loops were linked together until they reached the flat golden centerpiece which was inscribed with letters. He squinted, trying to make out the word -'D' 'E' 'A' 'N'. 

"Dean?" He repeated, the odd name sounding foreign on his tongue. His senses snapped into focus when he realised that the tiny necklace had fallen from up above! Human! His gaze instantly zeroed in on the waters above him, where he saw a huge and flat jagged piece of rock, floating eerily. His eyes grew huge with curiosity despite the warning voice of his father in the back of his head. 

Gingerly he flitted up to the surface, shivering as his head broke the water, a cold breeze wafting peacefully over him. From his new view, he could see that the rock was in fact a humongous piece of driftwood. But it wasn't the size of the thing that caught his attention. No. His eyes were immediately stuck on the two-legs that was asleep on the piece of driftwood. He gasped with a squeal and dived back into the water excitedly, doing an energetic loop before breaking the surface again. 

Although the sky was velvet black tonight, mother moon shone brightly over the strange man, illuminating him and bathing his body in an ethereal glow. His clothes were rags, damp and cold as they lay like dead pieces of kelp on him. Without thinking, Castiel flopped up on the hard surface, his curiosity getting the better of him, making him crave to see more. He'd never been so close to a human before! However, the organic raft could not hold them both and Castiel shrieked as it tilted with the extra weight, rolling them into the freezing water. 

"Oh no human!" He whispered before diving in after the still unconscious man who seemed unaware that he was literally sleeping with the fishes. The merman wrapped his arms around the man's middle, their chests pressed flush against each other. His cheeks flared when he realized how close they were for the first time. 

Pulling back just a little, he watched in wonder at the man, touched with wet fingers, tracing a marble forehead, high cheekbones and full lips that were bluish in colour. 

"You're so pretty." He whispered gently into the man's ear. When the man didn't respond, Castiel felt a wave of panic rush through him. He hadn't even checked for signs of life! He'd just assumed that the human was asleep. No wonder the army hadn't asked him to join them yet. Frantic, he shook the human slightly trying to rouse him. 

"Hello? Um ...human?...please wake up...human you're scaring me." 

No response. The man just floated there in his arms. His useless arms! Was he dead? He was dead! Great going Cas; the first human you find this close and he's dead. 

"Oh no! No, I'm so sorry." He sniffled, his eyes watering as they seemed to always do whenever he felt sad and was above water level. And though he would never know or find some kind of kinship with this man, he clutched him tighter in a goodbye embrace, his face buried in the man's shoulder. 

He sighed heavily once more before pushing away, to look at the man one more time. He wanted to memorize those beautiful lips, and those carved marble cheekbones. He ran a soft hand through the sandy brown hair that was stiff from the cold and that's when he felt it. The soft shudders against his ribs ...the tiny puffs of breath that sounded more like an ominous rattle. He reeled back when he saw the man's eyes flutter open into tired slits.

"You're alive!" He gasped in shock, tail flicking back and forth wildly in the water. 

Then the man's lips began shivering, his speech coming out in sleepy hisses as he spoke. Castiel couldn't hear him, so he pressed his ear closer to the human's mouth and heard a soft whisper of "Help."


	2. Spiralling Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favorite little merman is back again with his big brother Gabe. <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! Chapter 2 bitches! :* Exams are well underway but they can't stop our love for DESTIEL. Anyways, love you guys and thanks a mil for the support. XOXO _Sam_Haine

Chapter Two -Spiralling Thoughts

He didn't know how long he'd been power-charging towards the shoreline but he was vaguely aware that his tail fins were burning with all the force it exerted to propel him forward. His torso hurt with the pressure but the human was his priority now. The man was clinging to his chest for dear life, watery green eyes staring blankly up at him. His lips looked dry and cracked and were slightly open as if he was trying to speak. 

"Hold on human. We're almost to the shore." He heaved, blue eyes zeroing in on the lighter line of water that signified the shallows up ahead. He pushed his tail even further and sped up his course towards the intended destination, realizing that the sky was now just turning a soft indigo. They were at the crack of dawn, he surmised as his tail began to get cut into by small sharp pebbles, broken shells and rocks. He winced but powered on, the lack of deep waters slowing him down. With a last final thrust of his tail, he flung them both onto the wet sand ahead. Home free. 

The human flopped onto the sand with a barely audible grunt as Castiel surged forward, face smashing into the man's chest. He could distinctly hear the soft and slow beating of a heart becoming faint as he pushed himself off of the broad chest to lie on his side right next to the human. The man's eyes were closed peacefully, looking almost dead. Castiel almost panicked but the beating heart and small rising of his chest reassured him that the man was merely unconscious and exhausted. 

He permitted his slender fingers to trace the beautiful face of the human, running gently over soft brows, sharp cheekbones, a strong jaw and full, pink lips. He lingered for a while there, rubbing the soft flesh between his fingers, fascinated by them. A troubled grunt from the man almost made Castiel jump out of his tail before he calmed down realising the sailor was still sleeping. Looking around sheepishly he scanned the shore to make sure that no one had seen him. He sighed in relief noticing the still empty and isolated shore. 

Glancing back at the human, he studied the man's face again. Castiel had always had an unreal love for these creatures and to be this close to one finally was ...dizzying to say the least. He studied the facial features, the bone structure and the skin. They were similar to his upper body oddly enough. That is, until he got to the man's lower body and saw the two legs. Bright blue eyes widened in fascination as he prodded the heavy limbs. 

"Wow." he whispered breathily peering through the tattered and torn pieces of cloth that was the man's trousers, to see pale skin underneath. Unable to stop himself he pressed a finger through one of the holes and touched the skin there. It felt smooth. Gazing lower he saw the other two appendages that were supposedly called feet. He dragged himself further down to explore and was pleasantly surprised when he poked at the man's feet and he responded with a little huff, his legs twitching, irritated. 

Castiel giggled childishly before hugging the two feet as if they were one of his favourite fishes back home. The cry of a seagull over the horizon suddenly broke through the peaceful dawn and he realized then that it wasn’t dawn anymore, but bright and sunny morning. More two-legs would be about. If anyone saw him, half human, half glittery tail shimmering in the morning sun lying next to one of their own, he'd be as good as dead.   
He sighed, looking at the man before dashing back to the water. He didn’t even get to say goodbye, before the sound of chattering two-legs flooded the shore. 

He dived down deep before any of them could see him and rushed out of there, heart breaking at the prospect of never seeing that particular human again.   
.....  
"Hey baby bro, what's up with you?" 

The shrill, happy sound of his older brother Gabriel cut through his silence and he cracked open one eye to glare at the merman. Gabriel was pretty petite for a soldier and almost looked ethereal, like an angel. His tail was golden as the palace walls and his hair, fine spun gold. He had amber eyes that flashed honey-golden in sunlight. But despite his 'angelic' features, Gabriel was a terrifyingly dangerous soldier who could tear his enemies apart with movements so quick Castiel could have sworn his brother only needed to snap his fingers to kill. 

But to Castiel, Gabe was his protective big brother who smothered him with warm, fuzzy and annoying sibling love. 

"Hello Gabriel." he sighed, resting his head dejectedly on the thick bed of sea ferns. 

"What's up with you? You look like someone kicked you in the tail Cassie. Who was it? I'll deal with them." Gabe replied, flittering nervously all over his baby brother, checking him for damage. 

"No one kicked me Gabe!" Cas squealed when his brother began tickling him all over. He grabbed some golden locks and shoved his big brother back with a powerful thrust. 

"Ouch Cassie! That really hurt." Gabe pouted, rubbing his scalp where the little bastard almost ripped his hair out. "But seriously bro, you look like shit. What happened while we were gone?" 

By 'we' he meant his other older brothers.   
"I'm fine Gabe, I'm sure. How was Mersondawn?"   
Mersondawn was one of the thousand colonies that belonged to his father's kingdom of Atlantis. His brothers were sent to deal with some disturbances that had recently begun to kick up. Recently, the tribe of sea witches were acting up, crossing borders and killing merfolk, stealing from the innocent. Stealing supplies for their spells and enchantments no doubt. The soldiers of Atlantis had joined with others from different factions to patrol and protect. Castiel wished he could help. He was tired of being belittled and left behind; he could be a soldier dammit! 

"Mersondawn's borders were compromised. There were some casualties that we couldn't ...fix. We saved the rest who were enchanted by Humora's gang." Gabriel's face grew somber as he spoke of the terror that was Humora, the fierce sea witch. 

"They're getting closer." Cas realised. He clenched his fists, feeling helpless. How many more had to die before his father would finally see that they needed to end Humora and her people? 

"I should be there with you. I should be fighting by your sides Gabe!" he growled.

"Baby brother, you're not ready for bloody battles, nor are you strong enough."

"I can help Gabe!" he yelled like a petulant child. 

"I know you'd like to Cassie. But you're only going to distract us. We'd only be worried about your safety."

Castiel let out a cry of exasperation shoving away from his brother's embrace.   
"I'm not a child anymore! I can help!" 

"You're not a kid anymore, i get that. But it's dad's rules."

"I don't give a fuck about what Daddy says!-" Cas caught himself a second too late, gasping cutely before covering his mouth with a tiny curled fist. 

"What is "fuck'?" Gabriel asked, utterly perplexed.

"Uh ....it's nothing."

"Where did you hear that word Cassie?" Gabe asked sounding half threatening and half curious. When his brother refused to open that trap of his, he immediately knew the answer.

"Humans! Cassie what the hell? Did you learn that word from those sailors?!"   
He didnt need a verbal answer from the little brat; the coral blush rising in his cheeks was all the answer he needed. 

"They didnt see me Gabe, I kept to the shadows i swear." Castiel offered, tail swishing excitedly. He was dying to talk to someone about the human he'd found and saved. 

"Oh baby brother, you've been spending way too much time with those beings." 

"They're not that bad. You just gotta know em first." 

"How would you kno- ...no! No! Castiel did you meet one of these two-legs?" To say Gabriel was speechless was an understatement. And Gabe hardly ever shut up, so this was saying something. 

"Not exactly...-" Cas answered sheepishly, suddenly very interested in his ice blue tail fins. 

"What does 'not exactly' mean Castiel?" Gabriel demanded, his voice low but firm. Cas hated when his brother got all Dad-like with him. Gabriel didn't usually get angry with him or treat him like he was stupid like his other brothers, but when he did, it was scary. 

"Gabe. It's no big deal." he reassured, wrapping both arms round his folded tail, rocking forward clearly guilty of something. 

A strong grip on his chin brought his gaze up to look straight into those flashing honey eyes.   
"Talk. Now."

Rolling his eyes, exasperated, Castiel finally exploded.  
"Okay fine! He was dying, frozen and unconscious on a raft over Nemius. So I-"

"What the hell were you doing in Nemius?!"

"Are you gonna let me finish my story?" Cas sassed, raising a cocky brow at his infuriated sibling. Sighing heavily Gabe conceded, motioning for him to continue. 

"Anyway, when i went to check him, he said 'help' so i figured I'd take him to shore." He finished, looking down at the sandy ocean floor waiting to be scolded. 

"He said 'help'." Gabe surmised, sounding more curious than cross now. 

"I know! It's like we speak the same tongue!" Cas squealed brightly, happy that his brother didn't seem too angered by his story. Or threatened to tell their father, yet. "They're not that different from us Gabe!" he almost cried when he heard his own words. He wished, no -longed for the day that humans and merfolk could live in the peace and harmony they once did, centuries ago. 

Gabriel picked up on his emotions almost instantly. His face dropped into a sad smile.   
"Aw Cassie. Come here." he beckoned his little brother to come closer for a tight hug. Cas didn't hesitate and he buried his face in Gabe's muscled chest, feeling sad.   
"I know you want us to live in peace with them Cas. But it's just the way things are now. Even if there are a few good eggs, the rest of them would kill you and cut you open the moment they saw you." 

Castiel simply sighed, thinking about how fragile his human looked when he held onto him as he carried him to shore.


	3. The Strength of a Winchester

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam wanted to cry and Dean wanted to cry with him.

Chapter Three -Strength of a Winchester 

"Is he awake?" Sam Winchester enquired softly to the older man in a well-worn red and black cap known fondly as Uncle Bobby. 

"Sam. When did you get here? I thought you'd be halfway across the meridian by now." Bobby exclaimed, relief clear in his voice as he wrapped tight arms around his surrogate son. They were speaking in whispers, careful not to wake the sleeping beauty that was Dean on the hospital bed in his paper dress. Sam smirked as he thought, his brother would never recover from that. 

"I had to cancel the voyage anyway; the storms were too much and it screwed up our navigation. Plus Jess was on board and she wasn't doing too well from the time we left the docks. And then you called about him ...what did they say Bobby?" Sam's expression was creased and torn with worry and fear. The minute news had gotten to him that they'd found his brother, alive on the coast of Columbus Bay, he'd cancelled all business and maritime transactions and had returned home. 

Dean was his older brother and his best friend. The man practically raised him since they lost their mother, Mary in a house fire and later when their father John perished onboard an navy ship during the Colonial war. The Winchesters were a middle class bunch of merchants and sailors, known for their trade in the hunting and maritime business. Sam was usually in charge of the business part of things whilst Dean dealt with the nitty gritty sailor part of it. Not that Sam didn't enjoy working on ships with his brother but only because Sam knew more about the formal sector and Dean preferred not to deal with douchebag corporate yes-men on a monthly basis. And Bobby, Bobby Singer was their estranged uncle who had quickly become their closest family and father-figure. The man was their rock and their safehouse to run to whenever life had become much too strenuous with the memories of their parents. If Sam was being honest, he'd be the very first to admit that he wouldn't have even existed had it not been for the two men. So of course if something ever happened to either of them, Sam wouldn't give a damn if he was in the presence of the King and Queen of Lawrence, his family was more important.

"He's asleep on his own, not under morphine or anything. The doc said that he's alright, overall. But the exhaustion might keep him out for another couple of hours." Bobby was explaining, his voice heavy and tired. Sam squeezed his drooping shoulders wistfully.

"I'm gonna get you something to eat and drink, you need your strength."

....  
When he returned to the hospital room, Sam pulled up a chair beside Bobby, huffing fondly as the man scarfed down ravenously into his cheeseburger. 

"The burger ain't running away Bobby." he snickered.

"Shuddup ...idjit. What i want to know, is who let this moron go out in the open seas when there's a storm about." Bobby remarked crossly, glaring at an unconscious Dean though Sam could hear the warmth of relief and pure worry in his voice. 

"It's all my fault. I should've told him not to but ...he was so excited about getting his dumb boat back in the water again." Sam sighed, feeling immense guilt. 

"Hush that up boy. S'not your fault. The idjit's too hot-footed for his own good. What i don't understand is, if he left with the Maine off of Dock's Hollow, how'd he end up so far down the coast in Columbus?" 

"He did?" Sam was just now getting the details of his brother's great return. 

"Yeah. Witnesses said they found him lying on the shore, supposedly dragged himself. And look, i know Dean's strong but two days ain't enough for a man to swim from the Hollow to Columbus. That's at least a week's journey. And that's by ship."

Sam felt just as perplexed as his uncle.   
"Maybe a passing boat found him and just helped him make it to shore." he tried but they both were unconvinced. 

"We can ask him when he wakes. Makes no sense worrying about it now. We got him back, I'd say that's a huge win."

Sam nodded.  
"And besides, I don't think he'll be going in the water for a while. He's gonna be pretty sore about his boat." 

....  
Dean was in heaven; he was sure of it. He was flying through the skies, the hot wisps of cloud material brushing his face as he soared past them. When he looked down, he could see the cerulean blue of the sky reflected in the vast expanse of ocean that stretched to all corners of the world. There were no lands in sight, not even a speck of green. It was like flying over Neptune, the fifty shades of blue and all that. Beautiful. 

"Hey! Slow down!" a familiar voice called to him. Halting abruptly mid-flight, he swerved a full 360 and gasped in shock. 

"Mom?"   
The woman smiled warmly at him and he felt his heart break a little. God, he missed those bright green eyes, much like his. And her smile, so pure and happy and her hair, long flowing blonde silk. He never doubted it, not for a second. His mother was an angel and now he had proof. Oh he couldn't wait to tell Sammy! 

"Dean." she purred sweetly, embracing him tightly and suddenly Dean was four years old again. Tears filled his eyes as he collapsed into the embrace, a warm glow surrounding them. He breathed in deep and the nostalgia hit him hard when he inhaled her familiar scent of cherry blossom, apple pie and just, mom. It was amazing. Later when he woke up, he'd slap himself for not asking her how she'd been or where she was now but for now, he was content to just stay in her embrace, truly happy for the first time in years. 

When he opened his eyes, suddenly all the beautiful light was gone, and he was staring at an off white concrete ceiling with a soft white light glowing from tube bulbs. He frowned, moving his eyes hurt but he cringed and moved them anyway and frowned in surprise. There was a needle in the crook of his elbow, slowly dripping saline into his system, keeping his body hydrated. He was in the hospital no doubt.

"Sam? Bobby? What ...-" he didn't get the chance to finish when suddenly his arms were full of his giant of a brother. Sam was basically a huge puppy in human form.   
"Hey Sammy." he chuckled, smiling sheepishly at Bobby then rolling his eyes at Sam.   
"Alright Sam I'm here. I'm okay." 

"Welcome back idjit." Bobby huffed, trying to look cross and angry at him but couldnt stop the wide smile of relief that cracked his face in a grin as he gave him a tight hug. 

"Thanks Bobby." he grinned back. 

"I told you!" Sam's tirade didn't take that long to commence. "What did i say Dean? I said there's a storm coming and only an idiot would be stupid enough to be out in open waters at that time. But no, big macho Deano wants to prove just how much of a badass he is. Does he ever listen to Sammy? No! Cos Sam is just the stupid little brother who doesn't know jack squat about boats and storms!" 

Dean looked at Bobby for help and was awarded none.   
"Are you done?" he mocked cheekily, grin widening when Sam gave him the crazy Winchester eyes. He bust out cackling like a maniac.   
"I'm sorry Sammy. It won't happen again i swear. You were right okay? I said it, you were right. I should've listened to you. I'm sorry." 

Sighing Sam shook his head.   
"I swear to God Dean, if you ever do anything stupid like that again-" 

"I know, you'll kill me yourself. I got it Dad. Now, please tell me i can leave this place today."   
Dean ignored Sam's bitch face in favour of asking Bobby the important question. He didn't want to be stuck in some scary hospital in an ugly ass paper dr- "What the hell man! You let em put a dress on me?!" he yelled, green eyes wide with horror. 

Sam's grin matched that of the Cheshire cat. Payback was sweet. Now it was his brother's turn to give him the bitch face. 

...  
When they got home to the Winchester residence Bobby bid them a good evening and started heading off to his room to get a well deserved rest.

"Thanks for everything Bobby." Dean smiled sincerely at his uncle as the man trudged up the stairs. He threw an unamused glance at his 'son' and grinned before huffing, annoyed.  
"Whatever ya idjit." 

Sam chuckled softly as he returned from the kitchen with a bowl of cubed fruits and a bottle of water. "Here." 

"Wha! Sam I'm not friggin eatin' your rabbit food!" Dean groused rolling his eyes at his insistent brother. 

"Dean, the doc said you were really dehydrated when they found you on that bay. You need alot of water and foods that have a high percentage of water in em." Sam said firmly as he could, frowning sternly at his brother. 

"But i want a burger!" Dean whined like a petulant child. He even pouted his lips and folded his arms. Sam rolled his eyes tired of Dean's stubbornness. 

"C'mon man, one little bowl of fruit's not going to kill you." He tried, too tired to try and sell fruit to his obnoxiously childish brother. 

"It might. I saw a documentary once that said that alcohol and fast food are safer to eat compared to fruits and vegetables since they get sprayed by all these chemicals to grow fast." 

"Dean! Eat your friggin' fruits or i swear to God i won't tell you where i hid the keys for your Impala!" Sam growled rubbing his tired eyes frustratedly. 

Dean's pout got even more severe as he hissed begrudgingly at his brother and conceded before grabbing the offending bowl of fruit and sticking his hand into it.   
"You better tell me where my keys are for Baby or I'll take a shears to your hair." he muttered crossly to the fruit cubes. 

"Shut up. Man, i put a fork for you to eat with, don't use your hands that's disgusting." Sam grumbled, exasperated at his brother. 

"Would you quit bugging me? Your hero Ghandi ate with his hands! I don't see you criticising him!" 

"That's cos he's a great man who advocated a noble cause. You on the other hand, ignore your family and just head out to sea during a storm." Sam deadpanned, bitch face and attitude surfacing. 

Dean shook his head, chuckling in defeat.   
"Okay, you were right Sam. I shouldn't have gone in the water while a storm was raging nearby. I just really wanted to get the Maine back in the waves." he sighed, chewing on a watermelon cube. 

"You better be sorry." Sam mumbled, suddenly the deep and introspective little brother once again. "You really scared me ...us Dean. Bobby almost got a heart attack when you didn't come back that first night. I spent two whole days believing you were dead. Thinking that everyone in this family had finally left me and Bobby." 

Dean grew quiet as well, shuddering softly as his brother's voice got shaky with emotion.   
"I really am sorry Sam." he whispered, looking off into the distance distractedly. 

"I know." was Sam's simple response and Dean felt light again, knowing that his brother had already forgiven him. 

A comfortable silence had slowly flowed like warm silk between them and Dean became lost within his thoughts. He thought about the day his boat got wrecked by those crushing and relentless waves, powered on by thrusting, rainy winds that blew wintery wisps straight through his body. He remembered feeling small then; immensely small. He remembered thinking that Sammy was right and he should've stayed his ass at home. He remembers the roaring of the ocean, something that was downright terrifying. A lot of people always described the roar of the sea in their books and their poetry ...but he lived it. And he could tell those writers and poets that they didn't know what the hell they were talking about cos describing something like that? That guttural roar of the ocean? ...was indescribable. There weren't the right words in the history of languages that could transmit the same imagery or the same sounds. 

He remembers looking all around him for some sort of sandy refuge but all he could see was dark angry greys infused with blazing indigo that bloomed in vexed clouds in the black clouded sky. He'd wimpered then, and he felt no shame admitting it to himself. That sort of experience could break the strongest and bravest of human beings. That feeling of being swallowed by infinite space and time itself ...like a blackhole. Dean's never even been to space but he believes that that's what a blackhole is like. 

"Dean?"   
Sam's voice breaks through his all consuming thoughts like a ray of pure sunshine and as corny as that sounded, it was exactly how he felt. 

"Yeah." he murmured, placing his now empty bowl on the center table in front of him. 

"You okay?" Sam asked, his voice filled with deep, measured concern. 

Dean looked up at his brother and smiled softly. No matter what happened, he suddenly felt better with Sammy right next to him. Like a final puzzle piece that completed the picture. Dean knew he'd be alright.   
"Yeah. I think i am." he smiled, heart growing lighter as Sam began to smile as well. 

"I know you wanna know stuff like how the hell i ended up on that shore-" he began but Sam cut him off.   
"You know Dean, it's cool. I can wait until tomorrow. You've been through the blender and back. Get some rest and ....we can talk some more in the morning?" 

Dean's smile brightened in sheer relief.  
"Thanks Sammy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third Chapter is up bitches! My exams are a bitch rn, ugh but that's just me ranting. Anyway, :* love you guys and once again, thank you for the support. P.S. Did you guys like the mid-season finale?


	4. Sailor Boy Don't Go Out to Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean has a heart to heart with Sammeh, lol not really but they talk about stuff ...and thangs (TWD reference) xD Meanwhile Castiel works out some stuff.

Chapter 4 -Sailor Boy Don't Go Out To Sea

Dean wasn't stupid enough to believe that he would get a peaceful night's sleep after the traumatic experience that he'd been through. An entire week later and these stupid nightmares kept haunting him, mocking his memory. And he cursed himself realizing that he was back in the very same waters that had tried to claim his life. 

"It's just a dream man. C'mon wake up!" he yelled at himself even as a monster wave battered into him, sending his ass under. He held his breath for as long as he could, limbs kicking out wildly for some sort of control over his body. But his efforts were futile against the almighty ocean. 

"Come on Dean! Wake up!" he screamed in his mind, still under, still being battered by the giant washing machine. Out of the corner of his eye he suddenly saw a flash of bright silver. His heart stopped then. Shark! Oh God he was about to get eaten by a shark like the storm wasn't bad enough. Another flash of silver flittered just behind him and he lost it. 

Limbs flailed wildly as he fought desperately to swim to the surface. He was beginning to wonder if he was a fish in his dream since he'd been under the water for a pretty long time. His thoughts were all but shoved into the back of his mind when he felt something brush against his back. He screamed then, mouth opening and letting in gallons of salt water. He could just hear the shark theme from Jaws playing in the back of his subconscious. Make it worse for yourself Dean, good going. 

He was going to die! Oh God, please don't take him from Sammy! Those were his last thoughts before pale arms wrapped around him and he woke up with a deep gasp, -"Sam!" 

The room was eerily quiet. It was the dead of night. 

Breathing in gulps of air, he shivered, realising that he was sitting up straight and was covered in cold sweat. He swiped desperately at his bare chest, trying to shake the feeling of impending death and drowning. 

.....  
Out in the moonlight, a shimmering tail slapped the black water in despair before going under again. Another sun-down and still no sight of the pretty human. Actually, there weren't any humans at all on the sand or in the water. The gusty winds probably drove them away, Castiel thought with a sigh. He sank to the depths of the ocean feeling smaller with every meter he plummeted. 

....  
"Hey man you-" Sam paused when he saw Dean's condition. His dark blonde hair was a mess and looked like a lifeless mop on his head. There were dark bruise-like shadows under his eyes making them look sunken in. He frowned at his brother's slouched form at the island counter and replaced the tea cup in his hand with a beer. 

"Here." he muttered shoving the bottle in the space between Dean's head and his arm. Dean hissed at the coldness of the glass bottle and glared tiredly at Sam before chugging the beer.  
"Thanks." he rasped.

"Man, you look like shit." Sam commented, unnecessarily in Dean's opinion. 

"Feel like it too." was his honest response.

"These nightmares are getting worse Dean. I don't understand why you don't want to see Dr Jeckyll for a mental assessment." 

"Uh one, because I'm not going crazy, it's just nightmares. And two, his friggin name is Dr Jeckyll. That's not even funny." Dean shook his head throwing back the last of the beer. 

Sam rolled his eyes, flicking his hair out of his face.   
"Well then talk to me. Tell me what the dreams are about." he offered, grabbing a chair, sitting opposite his brother. 

Dean scoffed, shaking his head with the utmost reluctance. There was no way he was going to talk about his dreams and feelings with Sam.   
"Hell no man. Why the hell do you want to know about my dreams?"

"So that i can help you Dean." Sam sighed, rolling his eyes at his brother's stupidity. 

"Yeah, okay no thanks Dr Phil. I said I'm fine." Dean muttered defiantly, gesturing his empty beer bottle at Sam expectantly. Sam just grit his teeth and pursed his lips like he always did when he was trying to be strict with his older brother. 

"Look, they're just nightmares about the sea okay. I'm having some sort of flashback reel or something. I'm pretty sure I'll get over it by next week." Dean finally conceded, proceeding to the kitchen to get his own damn beer. He grumbled to himself when Sam followed him to the fridge. 

"You sure that's it?" Sam pushed.

"What?"

"Dean ...you scream sometimes in your dreams ....in the middle of the night. And by the time I get to your room, you're asleep."

"And your point?" Dean groused, annoyed. 

"Well, you sound like something's killing you. I'm just really worried, okay?" Sam muttered, pouting all sad, kicked puppy-like. Dean scrunched up his nose, mentally begging Sammy not to be so damn endearing. 

Sighing Dean caves once again. One Sammy, Zero Dean.   
"I think it's a shark."

"What?" 

"Dude -shut up and let me tell my story before i decide not to." he quickly adds, taking Sam's silence for an answer. Good. The story was embarrassing enough.   
"Look, I'm always back in the water during the freakin storm and I'm tossed into the water. And then something swim-stalks me ...and then it ...wraps arms around me. And then i wake up." 

Sam was quiet for a few seconds, looking thoughtful about his whole story.   
"It hugs you? I thought it was a shark?"

"Man i swear it's a shark. What else would stalk a live piece of meat in open waters? And what other sea creature has the Jaws theme song when it's circling round food?" 

Sam huffed out an amused laugh.  
"You heard the Jaws theme song before it hugged you?"

"See this is why I didn't want to tell you anything Sam." Dean grumbled, shaking his head.

"What? I'm just trying to dissect the dream Dean. You said you thought it was a shark but then it wrapped arms around you. There's only one explanation for this. It was a mermaid. Unless you believe that there are friendly sharks that like to cuddle." 

Dean rolled his eyes before holding up a dismissive hand.   
"Alright you know what Sammy, screw you."

"Man I'm being logical!" Sam defended, doing one of his famous innocent shrugs that just makes Dean want to punch him. 

"Enough talk about this, and it was not a mermaid."

"I mean, it could be your subconscious telling you how you reached Columbus Bay in record time without a ship or a boat. You said it yourself you don't even remember how you got there."

"I don't. I keep thinking of this soft voice in my head man. All I seem to remember is ...the sky and how the stars were oddly bright. And then I'm just floating in the water, I don't even think I was cold orn freezing. It was so warm." Dean had become lost in his muddled thoughts once again and couldn't bring himself out of the trance. 

That sweet, soft voice kept murmuring softly to him, right in his ear like a lover. But try as he might, he couldn't piece together that night at all. Just pure warmth and soothing voices clouded the memory. Geez, he thought, maybe I am going crazy. 

"I guess it'll get better with time. Don't stress yourself out thinking about or overthinking it. You're here, and you're alive, that's good enough for me." Sam offered, smiling slightly at his brother. And he meant every bit of it. Dean was alive, it was best not to overthink this. He got his brother back, and he was grateful. 

Dean didn't respond, just nodded, all wrapped up in his meandering thoughts. 

......  
A flash of silvery blue shot through the gleaming golden gates of Triton's kingdom before e was attacked by a missile of some sort. The clumsy object smacked hard into his broad muscled back and a small 'owww' followed. Shaking his head, the King turned around, amused. 

"Easy there boy, you're lucky it wasn't the palace walls you crashed into. Otherwise that would've hurt a lot more." 

Castiel grinned sheepishly at his father, rubbing his nose as he gazed up at his father from his spot on the sandy floor.   
"I think I might've had a better chance at the wall. My face hurts!" he whined as Triton helped him up. 

"Well maybe you can try swimming at a reasonable pace, that way you can save yourself the pain. What's the rush anyway?" 

"You summoned me father." he answered, a sly grin on his face. "You said you needed my help with a 'thing'." 

Triton's face lit up in recognition.  
"Ah yes, I did didn't I?"

Cas simply beamed with pure excitement. Today was the day, he could feel it in his bones! His daddy was going to take him out for his first patrol as a soldier! He'd been innocently collecting orange coloured shells for the little kids he was taking care of earlier that day when one of his father's guards came to him with the news that his father wanted to see him as soon as he was done babysitting. He could barely contain his excitement as he told the children about his dreams of being a soldier. They looked pretty excited for him too. His huge blue eyes shined with anticipation as his father began his speech. 

"Well, I'm hosting a celebration tomorrow night in honour of your brothers returning home from their duties in Mersondawn. They defeated Humora's fleet! And i need your help with deciding how to design the entire thing." 

Castiel's heart dropped faster than a ship going down in the Bermuda triangle. The smile on his face was frozen for a second before it completely disappeared and left him with a sad frown. 

"Son, what's wrong?" 

He pulled away from the hand that was just moving to rest on his shoulder, disappointed.   
"Are you really that clueless?" he asked, his voice small and shaky with emotion. 

Triton frowned in confusion before realization dawned upon him.   
"Oh. You thought that I was going to ask you to join the fleet ...as a soldier."  
He sighed gazing sadly at his youngest who had his head down low in utter disappointment. His heart broke a little but he knew why he refused to let Cassie become a guard. 

"Castiel, you are brave and smart and a kind merman and any force would be blessed to have you on their side. But-"

"But what father? What? I'm not as good or as reliable as Gabe and Lucy? I'm not as perfect or efficient as them?" Cas interrupted, fighting back tears. And though he couldn't see them, he felt them, hot tears coursing down his cheeks. 

"You're every bit as good as they are Castiel, do not put words in my mouth." the king berated firmly but then sighed.  
"You're a fine merman. I just think that you tend to get easily distracted and this can affect you when you're designated assignments." 

Cas shook his head defiantly.   
"I can fix that! I can be good father, I'll be good. Please!" 

"I'm ...I'll consider it." Triton conceded reluctantly. 

Cas' frown suddenly turned into one of the brightest smiles in the seven seas and Triton was almost barreled over by his overly crushing hug.   
"Thank you Daddy! I'm gonna be the best soldier out there!" 

"Okay Cassie, uh ...um, you're choking me." Triton spluttered prying arms from around his neck.   
"Now don't get too excited, I said I'd consider it remember? To be a soldier one has to be strong, firm and disciplined."

Cas straightened immediately, copying the salutes he always saw his brothers doing, flat, right palm against his forehead and all that. Determination shining in those bright blue eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooooo! Guys so glad exams are finally over! I'm semi-drunk and high rn, but i needed to post this cos ....i needed to post it.


	5. The Calm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is the saying; about the quiet before the storm. It's very real.

Chapter 5 -The Calm

"Dean, I'm not so sure about this. Are you really ready to get back in the water?" 

Dean rolled his eyes at Sammy's annoying overprotectiveness and shrugged his hand off of his shoulders. 

"The storm's passed Sam, I'll be fine. Besides, Bobby's coming with me."

"I am?" The old bastard enquired as Dean gaped at him, exasperated. 

"Yes you are Bobby, come on. You promised." He whined. Bobby was the only way he could get back in the sea since the man owned a fishing liner. Granted it was not as hi-tech and updated as Dean's old gal, 'The Maine', but the point was, that it was a vessel that could get back into the water. And that was something Dean had been dying to do ever since he got over his post-traumatic stress from the storm. 

"Alright fine, but the minute something goes off we're headed straight back to shore ya hear boy?" Bobby groused gathering his gear. 

"I'll make sure of it," Sam interjects, grabbing his duffle bag. 

Dean's frown deepened into a God-honest screwed up pout.  
"Dammit Sam! I don't need a babysitter!"

"I'm coming to help you guys out, not babysit you Dean." His baby brother grinned, looking a bit too smug about his decision. 

Rolling his eyes at both of them, Dean grabbed his own supply bag and stomped out to his car. They followed closely, laughing in amusement at his expense.   
......

Conch shells sounded amidst the cacophony of percussion on shell-like instruments filling the atmosphere with beautiful music. The entire palace of Atlantis was bright with all the gold and bejewelled decorations that Castiel had helped put up. Bright, sparkling stones of emerald, sapphire and garnet refracted coloured rays of light making the ocean seem electric with life. 

The musical band and choir did their part to keep the festive theme of the celebration going and the pleased look on everyone's face made him feel like his efforts were worth it. He grinned to himself, looking on from far as his brothers were greeted by a hero's welcome from the masses. There were over a thousand attendees from the palace as well as others from peripheral colonies at the ball. And they all cheered and applauded the brave soldiers who risked their lives everyday to protect them and keep them safe from impending dangers. Cas almost allowed himself to feel envy at his brothers for the chances they had gotten to prove their worthiness to their father but quickly buried the ugly emotion, opting to clap along with the masses of civilians. 

"Hey Cassie." A voice cooed by his ear making his skin crawl with familial scorn.

"Hey Lucy." he greeted, his older brother Lucifer looking cocky as ever as he soaked in all the adoration from some of the young mermaids. Winking at them, he swam in circles around Cas before stilling behind him. 

"8Enjoying the celebrations?" he asked, his voice sounding spiteful due to his sneer that came naturally whenever he spoke. 

"It's not a celebration for myself, but I am enjoying it all." Castiel tried to answer as honestly as he could. "If anyone should be asking that question, it's me. I did have a hand in the planning and design department for tonight's event." 

"Really? Well I must say that you did a fantastic job of making tonight special. Good work baby brother." Lucy's impressed smile brightened Cas' mood a thousand times more and he absolutely glowed under the praise. Lucifer always had a way of making him feel so much more important and worthy than he actually was and it was a rare and precious moment that he cherished for life. Sure Gabe showed his own affections more openly but something about Lucy's opinion of him made him feel more inclined to hear it. Much like how he felt towards hia father -always working to please the man, only Lucy was much less rigid and conservative. 

"Thank you Lucy." He beamed before narrowing his eyes teasingly. "I see that Meg hasn't taken her eyes off you since the ceremony began and neither have you." 

Lucifer merely chuckled whilst shaking his head knowingly.   
"Yes you're right. I've been courting her for a while now and we've decided to finally consummate our bond with a mating ritual tonight."

Cas' eyes grow wide with shock and then shyness that has his face ruby red.   
"Oh ...oh, right; mating ...that's something special." He stuttered wringing his hands together, his eyes cast downwards, blushing.

Lucifer grinned wryly at his baby brother, noticing his discomfort.  
"It's okay to talk about this Cassie. You're of nineteen years, I think you're old enough to talk about mating."

Still quite red in the face Cas chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his gilled neck.   
"You really think so Lucy?"

"Yeah, of course I do. You see, when a merman and a mermaid share affection for each other, they-"   
"Oh hey Cassie! Lucifer." Gabriel suddenly interrupted out of the blue, shoving himself in between Castiel and Lucifer. He smiled brightly at his younger brother whilst casting a narrowed glare at the elder. 

"Hello brother." Lucy greeted dryly, a knowing grin on his face. 

"Hey Gabe, Lucy was just about to tell me what mat-" Cas began but Gabriel quickly clamped a hand across his lips. 

"No! Lucifer dammit! Don't you dare corrupt poor little Cassie's mind! He's an angel."

"I was simply educating our dear little Cas about what you do with the people you love when you're bonded." Lucifer said simply, toussling Cas' hair with a swift brush of his hand. 

Castiel rolled his eyes at his brothers' antics, crossing his arms defiantly.   
"I can listen if I want to Gabe. I know about mating." 

Both older brothers stared at him with their brows raised. His face got even redder.   
"How do you know about it? Dammit Cassie, I'm supposed to be the one to tell you about things like this."

"Like you get tail." Lucy mutters under his breath.

"I heard it ....fr... from a sailor."

"A sailor!" Lucy hissed, his amused face taking on a threatening glare. Cas swam back a bit in fear but Gabriel immediately put himself between them. 

"Hey, cool it." he hisses back at the menacing, red-tailed merman, eyes glancing at Cas, making sure that he hadn't dashed away in fear of Lucifer. When Lucifer shook off his angry glare, Gabriel moved a little way from being suspended between them but still held a protective stance in front of Cas. 

Sighing, Lucifer shook his head.  
"I'm sorry Cassie. I didn't mean to snap at you, I just thought you got over that human obsession of yours."

"I have." he replied defensively, his ice blue tail straight with defiance. "I haven't even been to the surface in a couple of moons. But I heard them aboard a ship one night, talking about their daily activities. They spoke of something called 'women' and how they would meet these women at 'bars' and 'joints'. Then they'd take the women and have something called 'sex'. Sex I think is what they call mating. And apparently it's nice." 

Gabe chuckled, shaking his head whilst Lucifer sighed with sceptic understanding.   
"I'm sure that humans mate as well Cas. But as far as mating goes, I don't want you anywhere near the topic until you're at least of twenty years." 

"He's not going to be a virgin forever Gabriel." Lucifer comments rolling his eyes. 

"What's this?" Gabriel suddenly demands, gesturing towards Cas' wrist where a simple gold ban sat. 

"Hmm, it says 'Dean'." Lucifer reads, holding the pale wrist closer to his glowing scarlet eyes. 

"Oh, I found it ....in some old rockbed behind the palace." he answers simply, wrenching his hand away from his brother's strong hold. 

"It looks foreign ...human even." Lucifer growls, reaching for it again. Cas evades him swiftly, swimming a good distance behind Gabriel. 

"It's nothing. Seriously Lucy, it's harmless." he stammers, wringing his hands nervously. God, Lucy was such a father already. He could only imagine what he'd be like after Meg had his offspring. Speaking of which ...

"Hey Lucy, I think Meg's calling for you." he lies, nodding in the mermaid's direction. Lucifer fixes him with a suspicious stare but concedes for once and swims over to his mate. 

Gabriel raises an impressed brow at him. 

......  
The sun shone down on the water, burning skin and making the waves sparkle all around them. They were anchored a couple of kilometres away from the shore just off the coast of Lawrence and the weather seemed to be in their favour. Dean's grin was as bright as the sun as he cast a wire line out into the deep, hopeful to catch at least half a dozen blue tuna by twelve so that they could head back home early. 

Bobby's fishing liner, 'The Blue Label', wasn't as small as he thought. There was enough eating and sleeping space and the small bathroom wasn't too bad either. Sam was currently lounging around like a sore thumb, looking completely unimpressed by all of it. Dean rolled his eyes at his little brother. It wasn't that Sam hated fishing. Hell, he was one of the best mariners in Lawrence. But it was just that Sam had long outgrown the childlike love and passion for it and fishing had just become another job transaction for him. 

Dean on the other hand, loved the sea and all it's mystery. He felt like a little boy again, going on an adventure, excited because he never really knew what was going to happen next. He loved the simpler things in life and always strove to keep it that way. Sam was more open to change and advancement than he was and he could respect that. He just didn't have to like it.   
......

Cas had been receiving heaps of praises for his part in planning and designing the ceremony all morning. The folks loved the food that was served, they enjoyed the music and the decorations. They couldn't stop talking about the fern arrangements he'd made himself. All in all, he felt a little better about everything once the celebrations were winding down to a close. His father was about to make the final speech of honour and thanks, to the mermen and mermaids who gave their lives to service in the protection of all of Atlantis. 

He cleared his throat and everyone in the palace fell silent.   
"My fellow merfolk, I'd like to now take this time to commend and express my deepest gratitude on behalf of all of you, for the service that you brave soldiers provide every waking hour. You protect the great city of Atlantis with your own lives, sacrifice time with family and loved ones to keep so many of us safe. And so it is with great pleasure and honour that myself and all the citizens of Atlantis pay our respects to you, our great army and express our thanks for your dedication. We thank you!" 

The king raised his golden trident staff to the soldiers who were suspended in a rigid formation of twelve rows, each row with at least one hundred mermen and maids. Cas found himself grinning proudly at his three brothers on the force, Raphael, the eldest, Lucifer and then Gabe. They held their positions proudly, chests puffed out with patriotic intent. The trumpets sounded gloriously once more, signifying the end of the celebrations. 

Then there was a loud crash. And chaos and screams erupted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back bitches! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to y'all. Ugh it's been too long i feel like i've been away from u guys in forever. So, i'm back with a new chapter ....several actually. And i've got to say that i both love and hate these chapters because i wrote them while i was high af on mj, so i've only just now started to edit them. :'( And one more thing: i got a comment on how i shouldnt post that my story is finished unless it actually is. And, i always appreciate input from u guys so thank you for noticing. But i have a reason for doing that and idk if it's just out of habit or b/c of my ocd, but i hate to see the "4/?" on fics .... i know it's weird, so plz just bear with my weirdness and just know that the story isn't done just yet. Thank you for your massive support and enjoy! :*


	6. Exile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They say be careful what you wish for. Our little merman Cas learns that the hard way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Totally listen to "Not one of Us" from the Lion King part 2 soundtrack. Lol not for any reason, just that it adds the drama to this chapter. Also, 2017 is beginning with great news that Supernatural is being renewed for it's 13th season! YAAAAASSSSSSSS! Anyway, enjoy! :*

Chapter 6 -Exile

A serene silence had expanded between the two brothers as they stood at the edge of 'The Blue Label', leaned up against the side. Dean had a line cast deep into the water, gloved hands navigating the metal reel. Sam was propped up on his elbows, tortoise-shell green eyes gazing peacefully into the horizon. Bobby was at the front, handling the steering for the while. 

"Y'know, it's hard to believe that something so ...peaceful, could become so angry and scary at the same time." Dean finally sighs, tugging gently at the iron cords in his hands. There was no reciprocated tug.

Sam huffs, empathetic.  
"I get it man. It boggles my mind too." 

Dean nods, trying the line again. Nada.  
"I always figured I'd hate the sea because of how it took dad. And yeah, I couldn't even stand the water for weeks after he died. But ...I can't ever imagine being without it. It makes me feel closer to mom and dad in a way." He chanced a side-glance at Sam and saw the true picture of melancholy.  
"Sorry. Didn't mean to wax poetic on you." he chuckles dryly, taking a sip of the beer he'd forgotten was even there beside him. 

"Nah it's cool. I miss em too Dean. And maybe I can't ever forgive the sea for what it took from us, but I've also forgiven fire ...if that makes sense. I mean hell, we can't do half the stuff we do without fire even if it's the very same thing that killed mom. It's easier to just forget about what was taken from us and just ...I dunno, think about what we still got."

Dean nods to that, thinking about how strong his little brother really was. Sam could think his way out of any situation, heartache or loss. His mindset and his way of thinking always left Dean in awe of his baby brother and he couldn't help but think that their parents were especially proud of him. Sam was the shining star of the Winchester family and he never disproved that theory. 

"Now," Sam continues, "If you hadn't come back from that trip and that storm had gotten the best of you, it would've been a really different story. I would've hated the sea forever, and not given a damn about forgiveness and moving on."

There was a hard edge to Sam's tone that almost scared Dean but at the same time had his heart constricted with emotion. Sammy cared alright.  
He smiled.

"Alright Sammy, let's catch some fish."  
.......

A shadow suddenly emerged from behind Triton, a sharpened metal spear at his throat, an evil laugh echoing around the entire palace. 

"Humora!" Raphael spat, his tone menacing as he and his troops were incapacitated by Humora's slave soldiers. She called them her ghost guards, since they were created out of the spirits of merfolk she had captured. Ghost guards usually posed no serious threats when they were in small numbers but from the looks of everything, Cas counted at least an entire fleet. Humora had an entire army of ghosts! 

No wonder she'd retreated so quickly at Mersondawn, he thought. She'd gotten the souls she needed to complete her little army and could now afford to stage a full on attack. There was no stopping the vile sea witch now; even his father looked defeated as he struggled to keep the blade from digging into his jugular. Cas glared at the black-finned merman who held the blade and felt immense anger growing within him. 

He was a good enough distance away from all the commotion, out of sight yet open to a tactical view of his enemy. The little reading he'd done on battle tactics and war told him that this was a good thing. He could easily get the jump on Humora if he approached the situation cautiously. He figured he didn't need to attack all the ghosts that were holding all his father's people captive. He just needed to ambush the witch! 

He ignored the shrill register of her voice and got to work, grabbing a small golden dagger from a small pouch he'd kept with him since the celebration began, in case any minor repairs had to be done. Glancing back he saw that all the merfolk looked scared as she grouped them together and cast a binding spell over them. He growled when she did the same to the soldiers, his brothers included. Now all were bound by some invisible force, suspended in the water save for himself and his father who was being held by the black-finned merman.

"Look at the great King Triton now." Humora goaded, her shrieky voice mocking. 

"Your fight is with me Humora, leave my people out of this!" Triton demanded, grunting in pain as the merman pressed his blade deeper into the king's neck, drawing a tiny dispersion of red blood. 

"Not going to happen, my king." she mocked again, swimming a lap around before stopping right in front of him.  
"I believe you've met my son, Vayne before haven't you?"  
Vayne, the black-finned merman grinned from behind Triton. 

Castiel positioned himself, aim directly set on the sea witch. He bunched his tail as close as it could, like a spring that was squeezed together before it sprung loose. The golden dagger lied heavy in his clutch, digging into his skin as he timed himself. This was it. This was his one chance to save his father's kingdom. This was the one time to show his father that he could be a good soldier and protect his people. That he was capable of risking his own life to save others. 

He closed his eyes and launched himself out of his safehouse, straight towards Humora. His eyes flashed open when he heard her piercing shout, and he saw blood spill out of her scaly arm. Oh no! He'd only gotten her in the arm! Cas you idiot! He was about to retreat in a haste when something heavy dropped on top of his back, sharp claws digging into his arms. 

"Desiste!" he heard the witch hiss at his father and suddenly the king was bound like everyone else in the palace. 

"No!" Triton snarled. 

"Gotcha, little fin!" Vayne whispered seductively in his ear as he held the silver dagger to his neck now, just like he'd done with his father. There were gasps from all around the palace as everyone looked on in horror at his stupidity. He should've known he wasn't strong enough to be anything but a dainty event planner. Still, he fought hard against Vayne's clutches. 

"Let me go!" he hissed as Humora slithered towards him like a shark stalking it's prey. This was the first time he'd ever been so close to the sea witch. Her face was long and thin, framed by flowing red hair. He could see past her crystal white eyes, they were so clear ...and so frightening. She smiled with lips of fiery red coral and teeth as sharp as spindles. The witch herself wasn't as scary as he'd thought her to be, but she looked worse. Much more dangerous than he'd hoped. Her thin, bony frame clung to him for a second, ink blue tail smacking his own with a powerful thrust. 

"Diamante!" she gasped, her voice still mocking but with a little awe as her eyes widened at him. It almost looked as if she were surprised.  
"The Precious Jewel of Atlantis! You must be Cassstiel." she bubbles, long and cold fingers sliding down his cheek. He yanked his face away from her touch, growling at how she elongated his name. 

"Let my people go, or I shall be forced to kill you and yours." he threatened, grunting in pain as Vayne twisted his arms further behind his back. 

Humora cackled maniacally, dashing over to where Triton was bound.  
"My my Triton, he's a banging cannon! No wonder you kept him from my sights all these years. He's absolutely adorable too; would be perfect for my Vayne to devour." 

"Leave him be! Let them go, you can have me!" The king pleaded, eyes silently begging Cas to stand down. 

"No no no, you misunderstand my intentions your Highness. I do not wish to kill you. Perish the thought! I only wish to enslave you and your people and take your kingdom. It's as simple as that. But I may have gotten a bonus in all this; your precious baby boy, Cassie." 

Cas gasped at the feeling of a slimy tongue licking it's way up his cheek.  
"He tastes good too." Vayne groaned, hands touching Cas *everywhere*. He struggled against the invasive touches but to no avail. 

"Stop!" he cried. He glanced at the bewitched audience, whimpering in shame as he met his brothers' eyes. They were all staring on in horror as he was assaulted. Lucifer's eyes were a glowing red as he snarled, unable to do much more for his baby brother. He was always so fiercely protective of Cas and to be so useless in that moment made him incensed. Gabriel growled beside him too but even he, who had been dubbed 'The Trickster' for always getting out of the most peculiar situations, could do nothing. Raphael, in stark contrast appeared stoic. But Raph was a strategist and was most likely planning a way out of their current situation. 

Cas felt his face heat up with embarrassment as Vayne's wandering hand brushed sensually over his front. He let out an unexpected moan much to his humiliation, his face glowing bright red as Vayne chuckled lowly in his ear. 

"Precious little virgin, aren't you?" he mocked, brushing his hand up Cas' tail, rubbing his belly. 

"Please ...stop." Cas murmured weakly. 

"Ooh, so polite. Remind me to reward you in kind when we get back to my cave." Vayne taunts, his touches becoming bolder and heavier. 

"Leave him alone!" Triton snarls, desperately fighting against his magical bonds. Humora could do what she goddamn wanted with him but he wouldn't ...couldn't let her hurt his son.  
Wouldn't dare let her steal his innocence.  
"Let him go!"

There was the whooshing sound of a projectile gliding through the water and then an earsplitting screech echoed around them. Castiel barely had time to cover his ears before the scream deafened him momentarily, his senses frazzled as he shook his head. A moment later he realized that Vayne was no longer holding him captive and Humora was screaming bloody murder. 

"Termině!" the witch shrieked in a scathing voice, her diamond eyes blazing at Triton. The king grunted harshly in pain and then went completely still. 

Cas had to blink a couple of times when he saw the dead body of Vayne on the ocean floor behind him, a spear piercing his chest. His father killed Vayne ...the sea witch's son. A deep feeling of dread shot like a cold bolt from his head straight to the tips of his tail fins. She'd done something to his father, the king couldn't even move an eyelid now. It was definitely a bonding spell she'd casted ...a much stronger one too. 

"Triton. I consider myself a very reasonable witch ...I give the enemy their fair share of chances. But what you've done ...there will be no mercy. No remorse!" she spits out in a scratching tone that has Cas's tail shivering. Triton, restricted by the spell, communicates through his eyes and even Cas can tell he's afraid. Was Humora going to kill the king? 

At that moment, the sea witch's incensed glare rivets on him and Castiel feels his body grow cold. The witch was going to kill him ...in return for his father killing her own offspring. An eye for an eye. 

"Please." he whimpered, swimming back only to be reeled closer to the ink-tailed creature. 

"Are you watching Triton?" Humora taunts nastily, grabbing Cas by the back of the neck, dragging him directly in front of his father. He could see the man's terrified eyes and could only whimper in absolute fear. He'd never been exposed to cruel elements like Humora. Triton had kept him away from battle, conflict and anything military-related. Compared to this, Cas was basically a hatchling cowering in fear for his life. He could feel hot tears pricking his eyelids threatening to flow. He didn't want to die. 

"You took Vayne from me, now it's only fair that I return the favour." 

Cas let the tears flow then, realizing that this may very well be his last day. Humora was going to kill him, the same way Triton killed Vayne no doubt. He tries to be strong but he's never been taught how to so instead he caves and looks to his big brothers for help knowing very well that they can't even help themselves. And when he sees their faces, he wails out desperately. 

Gabriel's amber eyes are flashing in unbridled fury whilst Lucifer is frantically fighting against his bonds, trying to escape. Raphael, who was usually so calm and collected shows true fear in his eyes now as he looks straight into Cas's eyes, trying to speak to him. But the youngest doesn't see past his blurry tears and sobs even more as Humora starts chanting an incantation. 

"Morphiosə!" she finally screeches out loud, gesturing at him with a single finger. 

Cas squeezes his eyes shut in anticipation for the impact but nothing comes of it at that moment. 

"Oh you thought I was going to kill him?" Humora suddenly cackles like the sadistic antagonist she truly was. Triton merely grunts.  
"No no no, my king. Killing him is too easy. Much too easy. No, I'm not going to kill your precious boy. I will send him into exile however ...in a place far far away."

As the sea witch stews in her own evil genius, Castiel can feel himself begin to tingle. It starts with a warm chill running down his spine and then tapers off into a full on attack on his body. He jacknifes in agony, letting out a pained cry as immense heat explodes inside his lower abdomen. Humora's merciless laughter is the soundtrack to his agony but he can't bring himself to shut her up. He's much too occupied crumpling up in blinding pain while the entire kingdom looks on in mute horror. His father's eyes are wide and glassy and Cas can tell he's trying to move but his efforts are futile. 

Suddenly his tail goes stiff and is being split apart by the very same heat that was crawling up and down his spine. He cries out in shock and pain, blue eyes widening in fright when he notices that his tail had transformed into a pair of human legs right before his eyes and the eyes of the entire kingdom. He's frantic now, the limbs flailing uselessly in the water. He claps a hand to his neck and can feel his gills closing up, his breathing malfunctioning. A short cry escapes his throat before closing up as salt water began pouring in. He's drowning, he realizes. He's human! 

No! 

"Word on the waves is that Cassie has a little obsession with humans. Well dear, now's your chance to be one. Drag him straight to the surface and leave him at the mercy of the two-legs!" Humora scathes, two ghost guards grabbing his flailing arms, prepared to drag him upwards.

The fading face of his father is the last thing he sees before everything goes white. 

.....  
"Haha!" Dean gloats, the hugest grin on his face as he reels in his second blue tuna for the day.  
The wait had been long but worth it in the end.

They'd found the perfect spot where the fish was plenty and Dean could see their silvery blue bodies flitting just beneath the surface. It was the luck he'd been waiting for all day; however, granted that the prime fishing spot was much further out into the waters than they'd like, Sam couldn't see the positives anywhere. 

"Dean, hurry up! The water's gettin' choppy out here!" he hollers from the far end of the boat. He squints before huffing in annoyance as Dean flips him off. 

"It's close to noon boys! We gotta get the hell outta here soon! Dean! Hurry the hell up!" Bobby shouts from the wheel, where he's been navigating for the better part of three hours. 

"Geez, I'm not even close to six yet! Calm down both of ya! We're fine!" Dean hollers back, checking his line for a pull. And sure enough, there's another blue tuna on his hook.  
"Yeah!" 

Sam just rolls his eyes and looks pointedly at Bobby. They both shrug as Dean reels in his third catch. Despite his anxiety, Sam can't help the relieved feeling in his chest when he sees Dean sporting a huge ass, genuine smile. It had been weeks since his brother had looked so relaxed and happy. The change, however sceptical the circumstances, was welcomed. 

"Got another bite guys! Hot damn! I'm on fire here!" Dean cheered from his end of the boat. Sam huffed, amused.

..........  
Castiel was lost. Lost and terrified. He was petrified from the moment his head broke the surface, leaving him stranded, away from home. He'd tried desperately to dive back in but everytime he did, the nasty, cruel water stung his eyes and cut off his oxygen. Humora was truly a cruel witch, he'd surmised after realizing that he could never ever go back home. 

His tears mocked him as they spilled down his cheeks and down into the water. And if he wasn't so distraught by his current situation, he would've been amazed by the fact that his tears were actually water that leaked from his eyes ...and not just some warm sensation on his face. He guessed that was how it felt underwater. 

A wail left his throat again, for the hundredth time as he splashed helplessly in the vast ocean, the cold breeze doing nothing to help his predicament. How ironic that he was about to die by drowning, he thought bitterly. The useless limbs beneath the surface kicked and spasmed out, and the center between them felt weird and cold. 

"Father I'm sorry!" he cried out, the cry of seagulls mocking him in the distance. At this point, he felt like everything was mocking him. Laughing at his expense as he flailed around like a fish out of water, ironically. Frustrated arms slapped down hard at the water as he scrabbled for some sort of balance but gained none. He went under as a massive wave crashed into him, sending his limp body across the sea. With his tail, it had been so easy to navigate the waves and become one with their ebbs and flows. Now he felt like dead kelp or seaweed just being thrown about by the currents. Dead and useless.

.....  
"Alright, fine. You got your six, can we go now?" Sam grumbles, rolling his eyes at his brother. 

Dean just grinned wider, shaking his head.  
"Nope Sammy. There's more amd the day's still young. I'm milking this for all it's worth." 

"C'mon man, the currents are gonna get worse after noon." Sam tries again, but Dean simply casts his line back in the water whilst watching him straight in the eye, like one of those asshole cats that do the exact opposite of what you want them to do. He's about to let Dean have an earful when a melancholy cry in the distance stops him. He frowns and looks out into the distance, one hand shading the sun from his eyes. The water seems settled enough and he sees nothing for a moment. Then the sullen cry echoes again and suddenly a head breaks the surface, desperate hands flailing out for purchase. 

"Man overboard!" he yells as both Bobby and Dean rush to him. 

"Where?" Dean enquires as Bobby rushes back to steering, furiously turning the wheel. 

"I'm gonna try to get as close to him as possible! Get the life raft!" he hollers from the front. 

Sam and Dean get to work, Sam unhooking the life raft from it's position, Dean keeping an eye on the man. He's still fighting the currents like a moron and tiring himself out more.

"Stop fighting the waves!" Dean yells at the man, hoping he's heard. The way the man stills like a deer in headlights tells him that he's been heard.  
"Hold on!" 

Sam is just tying the raft to a rope when the man goes under again.  
"Dammit." Dean hisses under his breath. "C'mon Sam!" 

Sam thrusts the raft into the rough waters, almost yelling in relief as it lands right in front of the man.  
"Grab a hold! Come on!"  
His heart sinks when the man shrinks backwards in the water, looking as if he was trying to get away from the raft. 

"The hell's he doing?" Dean yells, green eyes frowning in confusion. 

"He's scared." Sam states knowingly, stripping off his shirt but leaving his trunks on.  
"I'm going in." 

Dean has little time to protest before Sam is diving into the choppy waters like an absolute moron and almost gives Dean a heart attack. 

"SAM!" 

"The hell's goin' on back there!" Bobby hollers from the front. 

"Sam's an asshole that's what!" Dean yells back as his brother swims in powerful strokes towards the idiotic man who's trying to swim away. 

Sam's already halfway across the water, his muscles burning with the effort it takes to play catch up. He could see the man's dark hair just a body's length away from him and takes a powerful dive forward. 

"Stop! Hey! I'm gonna get you out of here!" he hollers, trying to grab a hold of him but he's like a slippery fish.  
"Stop! I'm trying to help you!" 

The man gasps harshly when he feels Sam's strong arm wrap around his torso.  
"No!" he rasps, his throat sore from all the crying he'd been doing. He scrabbled against the man's firm grip but was much too weak to break the hold. His naked legs just kicked at water, arms sliding against the man's body like brittle coral. 

"Calm down, I've got you." The human grunts, pulling him close to his larger body as he begins pulling them both closer to the small ship. Cas's heart is beating wildly against his chest like a caged bird but he forces himself to stay still. For the moment he just lets himself be dragged along much like he'd been letting the waves do earlier. He'd lost his family, he'd been exiled and cursed with a human form. He'd lost everything. What more was there to live for? It was easier for him then, to just let himself go, now truly at the mercy of the two-legs.


	7. Lost Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Out of the Sea ...wish i could be .......... Y'all know the rest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol posting this again cos i accidentally posted chapter 6 twice. Enjoy!

Chapter 7 -Lost Boy

Sam felt his lungs burn as he reached 'The Blue Label', the spooked boy shaking in his arms. It was only with a closer glance that he'd realised that the man drowning was not actually a man, but a young boy not much older than sixteen or seventeen. And that he was completely naked; not that it was a problem. But he felt tiny in Sam's arms as he pushed him upwards, where Dean and Bobby were waiting to haul them up. After they helped the boy, Sam climbed up himself, grabbing Dean's outstretched hands. Dean's tirade started right after he was handed a large blanket. 

"What the hell were you thinking? You crazy? Huh? Do you have a death wish Sam?" his big brother yelled furiously, his green eyes flamed. 

Sam rolled his eyes, nodding his thanks at Bobby who handed him a warm towel to dry off his hair. Bobby then knelt down next to the boy on the floor where Dean had dumped him to help Sam up. His head was bowed deeply while downcast eyes gazed at the blue floor of the boat. And even though he was wrapped in a thick grey blanket, they could make out how badly he was shivering. Dean knew the kind of trauma he was going through but couldn't find it in his heart to care just yet. He was still furious with Sam for risking his life like that. 

"Hey, you got a name boy?"   
Startled by the man's rough voice, he clammed right up, refusing to open his mouth. A human was talking to him! A God honest human being was communicating with him! It's something he'd always dreamed of but somehow under his current circumstances he felt like he couldn't. How ironic, he thought bitterly. 

"Hey Chuckles! He asked you a question." Dean pushed, his crass tone matching his frown as he regarded the small boy with suspicion. The boy startled again and began shivering more violently at Dean's rough tone. Rolling his eyes, Sam mutters at his brother to back off before attempting to speak to the boy. 

"Hey, it's alright now. You're safe with us." he murmurs softly, a tentative hand extending to wrap around shaking shoulders. The unexpected touch causes the boy to freeze up but Sam keeps speaking to him in soft whispers.   
"We're not gonna hurt you. It's okay now. You're safe." 

There's a murmured response and both Bobby and Dean perk up with interest. Sam leans closer. "What did you say?" 

"M...my name ....s'Castiel." the rattled whisper comes and Sam smiles gently. 

"Hello Castiel. My name is Sam, that's Dean my brother and Bobby, our Dad." Sam introduces, jokingly winking at Bobby who is shaking his head in amusement. 

Cas still has not looked up at them but has ceased shivering as Sam's gentle and reassuring voice washes over him. He's still lost and without a family. Without a home. His heart aches in his chest as he sits there on some impossibly hard surface surrounded by a bunch of strangers. What's worse is that he doesn't even know what's become of his family and all the people of Atlantis. 

Humora was a witch of her word and if she really wanted them dead, she would make it happen. There was no one to stop her. No one to protect his family and his people. The thought of his father's dead body lying on the ocean floor has him sobbing out in a pained wail before collapsing into the warm embrace of the man who called himself Sam. His face is buried in the man's chest as hot tears course down his face. 

Sam raises a concerned brow at Bobby and Dean as Castiel buries his head in his chest, clinging to him as agonized sobs wrack his body. He wraps his arms around the boy's shaking frame, a soothing hand rubbing up and down his back.   
"It's okay now Castiel. You're okay now. I promise." he offers, still looking to the other two for some help. Bobby simply shakes his head while Dean shrugs, a brow raised high in the same bewilderment. 

.....  
Castiel is put to sleep on one of the small bunk beds in the resting quarters after he falls unconscious from crying. 

"He's exhausted." Sam surmises after placing covers over him. 

"Wouldn't doubt it." Bobby murmurs, leading the way out of the small room. They both meet Dean at the wheel, his face set in hard lines. 

"I'll handle the steering now Dean." Bobby coughs out awkwardly, taking hold of the wheel, eyes immediately riveting on the horizon ahead. 

"Sure thing Bobby. Uh Sam, a word?" Dean says calmly which could only mean one thing; that he's pissed off as fuck. Sam concedes, sighing tiredly as he follows Dean to the farthest end of the boat, not wanting to drag Bobby into their quarrel. 

"Look, I already know what you're gonna say Dean."

"Oh really? You do?" Dean sneers, already riled up. 

"Yeah, I do. You're gonna say what I did was stupid and that I could've drowned or whatever." Sam states matter of factly as he leans against the white railing of the boat. 

Dean huffs in annoyance, rolling his eyes.   
"You're damn right it was stupid!"

"What would you have done Dean? Leave him there to drown?" Sam grumbles frustratedly. Sometimes his brother was so bone headed and overprotective it scared him. Seriously? Did Dean really expect him to leave the guy floundering in the water?

"We could've found another way to save him. Look, you can't just go jumping into open waters saving people without a single thought for your own safety. It's freakin' nuts what you did Sam! Any lifeguard would tell you the same thing. " Dean argues, his green eyes reflecting true fear as he winces from flashbacks of the storm. 

"So you're a lifeguard now?" Sam jokes, attempting to lighten the moment and calm Dean down. He's not proud of the fact that he'd scared his brother shitless, but doesn't regret saving Castiel one bit. Dean's face is still a picture of panic and creasing worry. 

"Look, I'm sorry man. Okay? I know it was stupid to just dive in, but Castiel would've died. And we saved him. You can't tell me you're not happy about that." 

Dean's tense face suddenly softens and smoothens out, leaving him looking tired yet understanding.   
"No, I am happy we got to him in time. Just ...don't do that again, okay Sammy?" 

Sam nods meekly, the ever loyal baby brother eager to settle his big brother's troubled mind.

"I promise I won't Dean." he affirms, placing a reassuring hand on Dean's shoulder which seemed less tensed now. 

"What are we gonna do about Cas now?" 

"Cas? You've already given him a nickname?" Sam asks, incredulously.

"Yeah cos 'Castiel' is way too much syllables for me." Dean replies dryly. "Seriously Sam, what are we supposed to do with him now?"

"What d'you mean? We take him to Jody and help him find his family." 

Dean rolls his eyes.  
"I'm sorry, but did you swallow too much salt water while you were in there? We don't know jack squat about the guy. I mean, he appeared literally out of the blue Sam! I didn't see any sinking debris around him and-" 

"And what? We're supposed to just leave him to fend for himself?" Sam interrupts, ever the humanitarian.

Dean shakes his head.  
"I'm just saying this all seems a little fishy that's all. I mean come on; naked guy appears out of the blue, without any trace of a sinking ship or evidence of any incident whatsoever, that might have caused him to end up stranded in the middle of the ocean? I'm not buying it." 

Sam raises a brow at his brother, perplexed.  
"Look he hasn't told us anything yet. And he's clearly traumatized by something."

"So?"

"So we wait till he wakes up, and ask him. Then we can take him to Jody, maybe she can track his family or a close relative or something." 

"Fine." 

"Fine." 

"Okay." Dean mumbles, childishly always wanting to have the last word. Sam just rolls his eyes, shakes his head and lets Dean have his little victory. 

......  
They made it to land an hour later, just as the sun began setting, the glowing orange setting the ocean aflame. Dean left Sam and Bobby to dock the boat properly and went to wake Castiel and give him the good news. 

He stepped cautiously into the dark room, making out the small profile of the boy sleeping soundly. The blankets had slipped down Castiel's body as he slept, revealing a vast expanse of soft, pale skin that was smooth yet raised in places where taut muscles rippled beneath. And although his back was turned to Dean and he was asleep, Dean still felt like a creep as he got an eyeful of that smooth, naked body -butt included. The space suddenly felt too hot and suffocating as he ran a hand over his face. 

He gingerly reached his hand out for the blanket that was tangled up in completely smooth shaven legs, much to Dean's surprise. Tugging it firmly, he drew the large thing over the boy's body, giving him some sense of decency. Some part of him sank in disappointment, which was weird so he ignored the feeling, opting to poke at the boy's shoulder until he woke. 

"Hey, Cas." 

No response.

"Castiel?" 

Still nothing. Rolling his eyes he leaned in closer and whispered, "Hey Cas, wake up. It's time to go." 

At that, Castiel did some weird ass snuggle thing with his face in the pillow almost like a cat -which made Dean huff in amusement- before turning over on his side to come face to face with Dean. He goes completely still for a moment, his peaceful demeanor shattered at the sight of a human. But not just any human. It's the one with the pretty eyes! 

He snaps upright in bed, all of his senses kicking into overdrive. He and the man stare into each other's eyes for what feels like an eternity before he whispers, disbelieving, "You're alive!" 

The man frowns slightly before nodding at him.   
"Yeah Cas, we're all alive. How you feelin'?" 

Castiel frowns. How the hell does the man know his name? As if in response, his mind provides him with a bunch of memories that come to him in ugly flashes. He gasps, as he remembers what Humora had done to him. All the emotion starts clouding his eyes again and he can't help but sniffle with anger and sadness. 

"Hey man, it's okay. Like Sammy said, you're safe now." The man says gently to him. He recalls Sam introducing him as his brother, Dean. Dean places a reassuring hand on his shoulder and gives him his brightest smile.   
"Okay, lemme just get you some clothes and then we'll go from there." he mutters, mostly to himself but Castiel hears just fine. 

The ex-merman watches in a daze as the man he'd saved walked out of the room, completely safe, alive and unharmed. He remembers Dean from that night, close to death, pale blue and clinging to him for dear life. He'd memorized those pretty, emerald eyes. Hadn't forgotten about them since that night. What an odd coincidence, he thinks before Dean returns with some sort of cloth in his hands. 

"Alright, me and Sam are way bigger than you but this should fit. Bobby's out of the question, he only brought the clothes on his back; savage." Dean huffs, shoving two pieces of cloth into his hands. The man then turns around for a while, some act of privacy probably, but Castiel doesn't know what to do with the pieces of cloth. So instead he simply stares at them with unblinking eyes. 

Dean suddenly turns around and immediately slaps a hand over his eyes.   
"Dude! -what the hell!"

Cas falls back onto the bed in surprise at Dean's tone, the pieces of cloth covering his modesty which he doesn't even acknowledge. Dean on the other hand gapes at him, exasperated. This is the first time that Dean's finally seeing Cas's face without looking away and .....he's mesmerized to say the least. The boy has eyes of aquamarine blue that are huge and somewhat familiar ...like he's seen that kind of blue before. They stare directly back at him, making him feel hot under their attention. Castiel's lips are full, rosy pink and look sinfully soft. The jaw is straight cut and bare, leading up to high cheekbones that glow with a slight dust of cotton candy pink. He's way too pretty to be a boy, Dean thinks. Brunette brows are creased in a meek frown as the boy remains in his frozen position on the bed. 

Dean almost curses himself out loud as his moronic right hand reaches out and strokes tenderly through soft and fluffy brunette hair. 

"I'm sorry." he quickly amends, yanking his arm back to himself.   
"Didn't mean to scare you." 

And damn it all to hell if he didn't see Cas close his eyes and purr at the gentle pet.  
"Sorry." Castiel murmurs, looking down at his feet. 

"It's okay. I thought you were done ...y'know ...getting dressed." Dean replies, shaking his head stupidly. 

"Why do I have to wear these?" Cas asks innocently, pawing at the cloth in his hands. 

Dean frowns, amused and confused at the innocent question.   
"Because we've reached the coast now Cas." 

Cas startled Dean with a loud gasp.  
"We're on land?" 

Dean, taking Cas's excitement for relief, an honest reaction to being stranded in the water for a long time, chuckled softly.  
"Well almost. We need to actually leave the boat first." he jokes.

Castiel looks pensive at first, scared even. But then he nods with finality, as if accepting some horrible fate before pointing at the clothes in his lap.   
"Can you help me please?" 

Dean winces slightly, but then concedes, unable to resist those huge blue eyes. Seriously, Cas was starting to remind him of those adorable blue eyed, marshmallow-white kittens. Which was weird because Dean was the epitome of all things straight as a needle.

"Um ...okay, ....uhh, here." he tries, his orders coming out in robotic, choppy sentences.   
He helps Cas push his head through the hole of his black ACDC t-shirt, and then instructs him on where his arms should go. Resisting the urge to run out the room screaming for help, he makes a point of looking away as Cas pushes both legs through the dark green underwear that was also his. He's in the middle of thanking the gods that he doesn't have to help the guy out with his underwear when Cas pokes him in the shoulder. 

*Godammit!*

Turns out Castiel can't stand very well on his legs and so he needs help standing to slip Dean's dark green underwear up his smooth, pale legs. Dean huffs in embarrassment as he grips the boy round his sleek waist, feeling the bend of his body as Cas pulls the awkward article of clothing up his legs. Dean begrudgingly assists him in yanking on Sam's pair of navy blue and green board shorts, breathing a huge sigh of relief when it's all over and Cas is fully dressed. For some reason, seeing Cas in clothes looks awkward to him but he shakes off the feeling. He just wants to get off the stupid boat now. 

.......  
Castiel's breathing is heavy as he struggles to take in his completely new surroundings from the backseat of Dean's car which he calls 'Baby'. Dean is behind a "wheel" just like the boat had, only they were now navigating some hard, black surface and not the sea. Sam was next to him, in the front as well, his long gold brown hair flowing gracefully with the cold breeze that was blasting in through a huge, weird-shaped hole in 'Baby'. 

His stomach churns uneasily with every kilometre they take, further and further away from the sea. Baby is growling and gurgling and makes a frightening vibration under the seat, making him whimper in fear. The feeling is reminiscent of being on the back of a powerful shark. He'd only been on one -and a bull shark at that- but the memory and feeling stayed with him ever since.

His eyes are getting dizzy in their sockets as he tries to catch the sights of tall rocks flying past him, standing ominously out of the hard black ground. He's familiar with the palm trees that flit by as Dean increases the speed but his eyes pick up some thicker, fuller trees that seem alien to him. Weird smells hit his nose and he finds himself enjoying some of them. He imagines the strong, spicy smells that make his nose tingle are the scents of food or something edible. And that the impossibly sweet ones are much more natural, from flowers and other greens. Back home, the scents were so much more muted and colourless. 

"How you doin' back there Cas?" 

Dean's deep voice snaps him out of his reverie and he blushes with sudden anxiety as Sam turns around to look at him. He fears for a second that his cover is blown and that Sam knows he's a merman. But then Sam just smiles at him warmly. 

"I'm ...I'm ....I feel fine, Dean." he responds, trying to sound as ordinary as possible. "Thank you." 

He sees Dean nod in reply and sighs with relief.   
"Where's Bobby?" he asks quietly; his first attempt at making conversation. 

"He's following us in his truck behind." Sam explains, gesturing behind them. Cas turns around and sure enough, he sees the older man with his dark blue headress behind them in the thing Sam called a 'truck'. He waves an unsure hand at the man and grins brightly when he returns the wave, albeit a little awkwardly. Sam chuckles along with him, clearly amused as well.

Baby stops moving abruptly and Cas almost jumps out of his skin when he lurches forward, face planting straight into the seat infront of him with a loud 'thwack!' He gasps softly more out of surprise than actual pain. 

"Oh crap! I'm sorry."   
Dean is out of the car and at Cas's side in an instant. Cas is holding his face, rubbing at his nose with a sad puppy look on his face that has Dean extremely apologetic and Sam rolling his eyes at Dean. 

"Did I hurt you? Is your nose alright?" he inquires, hands prying Cas's own fingers from his face to assess the damages. 

"No you didn't hurt me. And my nose just got squashed, it's fine." he reassures Dean, getting lost in those concerned, emerald pools for a moment.   
"Why did we stop?" 

Dean then grins at him brightly.  
"Cos we're home." 

"We uh....we figured you should take a shower first and get something to eat before we take you down to the sherriff's." Sam quickly interjects.

Castiel felt his heart drop and shatter in his chest as he swallowed slowly in fear. What was a 'sheriff'? Was that the person who cut up and dissected creatures like himself? Gabriel had told him stories about countless encounters between their kind and humans and most of those stories did not end well for the merfolk. 

"T...the sheriff's?" he asked, calmly but was sure his widened eyes gave away his inner turmoil. 

"Hey don't look so scared. Jody's good people. She can help you." Dean reassured, lifting Cas into a bridal carry, helping him inside the huge expanse of rock. They entered a flat sheet of black rock that Sam referred to as "front door". The front door then opened out into a pretty spacious cave that was filled and decorated with a bunch of human objects -none of which were familiar to him. 

"What's Jody supposed to help me with?" he remembers to ask, as Dean sets him carefully down on a large fluffy beige sponge. He mrrows in surprise when the sponge sinks comfortably beneath his body, almost swallowing him up. A soft gurgle of laughter escapes his lips as he becomes completely immersed in the new feeling. 

"Why don't we talk about that after we take a shower and have dinner? Sound good?" Sam offers, smiling a bit nervously at the lost boy. 

Cas squints and tilts his head almost kitten like before nodding with uncertainty.


	8. Story of My Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas isn't sure what "dinner" is ...but it sure is the most uncomfortable thing he's ever been in. Everything about his life right now is going down in a dizzying spiral. The Winchesters are nice people ....not like the vile and nasty humans he'd heard them to be. Impasse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya guys, it's been way too long. Man i feel like crap for taking so long to post this. This chapter was done weeks ago but i wanted to post it with 9 as well, but since that's not perfected yet, idk what else to do. And i hate to keep u guys waiting. Sigh, life has taken off in a new direction rn and it's pretty awesome yet hectic. But, we'll just have to carry on right? Anway, enjoy my good people.

Chapter 8 -Story of My Life 

Dinner that night becomes tense the moment Dean asks Cas how he'd ended up in the middle of the water. Sam had hoped that Dean would be able to hold his tongue and his curiosity until after they ate but, his brother had never been one to beat around the bush. So with baited breath and a wincing eye at Dean, he waited for Cas to explain. 

The boy had showered, with Sam's help this time as Dean refused to have anything to do with Cas when he was naked ...again, and was now dressed in one of Sam's huge ass dark grey t-shirts which dwarfed him. The neck was stretched out so it slipped past one shoulder constantly and the hem of it just barely made it to his mid-thigh area. He'd been given undies too but neither brother cared to check if he actually put em on. Wet and dark brunette hair stuck up untidily, some short strands drooping in his eyes as he sat at the table, frozen. 

Cas seemed afraid of anything and everything. He'd tilted his head slightly and did the cat thing with his eyes when Sam had put dinner in front of him. Dean knew he was weird, but who didn't like spaghetti? Cas politely pushed his plate towards Dean who was closest and looked down, timid. 

"I ....I don't remember." he finally murmurs, brain pounding at the effort it's taking to come up with a good lie. They couldn't know the truth! No matter how trustworthy they seemed.

Dean's expectant face falls seamlessly into a frown that looks much too comfortable on his face and he snorts loudly.   
"Are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm not ...kk...kidding you." Cas stammers, shaking his head passionately as if that would help make his story more believable.   
"I truthfully do not remember anything. I ....I just recall a bright flash of light and then I....I came to consciousness in the water." 

Both brothers are silent for a while, which makes Cas more nervous by the second as he sits there, heat curling down his spine and sweat making his palms slippery.

Then Sam nods.

"It's okay Cas. I know how traumatic something like that can be. Dean's only recently gotten over a very similar experience." he reassures, to which Dean shoots him a poisonous side-eye glare. 

"Sam, shut up." he grumbles, jabbing a piece of spaghetti and stuffing it into his mouth. 

"What?" Sam exclaims defensively.   
"Anyway, what I'm saying Cas, is that it's okay if you don't remember everything that's happened." he offers.

"We've still gotta take you to Jody though." Dean interjects through a mouth full of food. Cas, who still had yet to even touch his food, frowns in shock. 

"Why?" 

"Because ...we found you naked in the middle of the sea Cas. And because you don't remember what happened, the sheriff needs to know. What happened to you could've easily been criminally related." Dean explains, his voice all serious as he gets down to brass tax. 

"Yeah, and besides, it's best if the authorities contact your family to let them know what happened." Sam adds, that comforting smile still on his face. 

"Criminally related?" Cas parrots Dean, his mind a mess as he tries to understand all of what they had just told him. He fails miserably however and breaks down into tears at the mention of his family. How the hell could he forget?! How dare he allow himself to enjoy the good human life while his family and friends were down home, suffering at the hands of a greedy sea witch? 

"My family." he sobs brokenly, as Sam and Dean rush to his side, Dean's hand firmly grasping his shoulder. 

"What's wrong Cas?" Sam demands gently.

Through his tears and pained sobs he hears Sam's question but can't find the strength to answer. He's weak and exhausted from mourning a family and a life, both which are shrouded in uncertainty and the certainty of death. He would give his life to just know if his father, his brothers and the people of Atlantis were alive. If he only knew then he would gladly live in exile for the rest of his miserable life. 

But there was no hope. No silver lining for him. Humora had made it very clear how she'd expected it to go for him. He would be at the mercy of the humans, she'd said. And true to her words, here he was, in the home of Sam and Dean Winchester, unable to even move without them because legs didn't agree with him. Everything he'd learned about humans so far had been from them. They'd given him shelter, food and clothing -though he didn't see it's purpose. The Winchesters were nice folks, but he had no idea what they could do if they ever found out he was a merman. He was thus forced to live on broken corals, watching his every move and making sure he didn't slip up. Otherwise, he'd end up dead like so many of his ancestors. 

"Hey, what's wrong?" the soft tone of Dean's voice seemed so unexpected coming from the usually outspoken man. But it was also a welcome change as the soft, caring sound immediately soothed the sobs that were wracking through his body. 

"They're dead." he whispers hauntedly. He looks up, straight ahead at the other end of the dining table. "They're all dead." 

Sam bows his head; a sign of empathy for his pain. Dean just looks at him with glassy green eyes and he's shocked when he sees a single tear roll down his cheek. Cas feels his arm raise and before he can stop himself, he's wiping the tear away, thumb finger gentle on that beautiful face. No one so beautiful should ever have to shed tears. His heart flutters stupidly in it's ribbed cage and though he'd never been one to wax poetic, Dean's face reminds him of home. Their first meeting had been in the sea, even if Dean doesn't remember any of it. 

His moment suddenly disappears when Dean looks away and Sam speaks again.   
"I'm so sorry Cas. What happened to them?"

He nods slowly, looking down at his ....feet. They're weird and scary and he doesn't like the way his toes wriggle about like little worms.   
"It's. ....it's ...not a story I like to tell. And it happened many uh m......moons ago. But I still mourn their loss as if it were yesterday. It's just me now ....just drifting alone, from place to place." He almost pats himself on the back for how good the story was but then remembered that it was only half truth. An ugly feeling fills his chest then and he keeps looking down at his feet to hide from the brothers' sincere expressions. He was afraid that one look into Dean's pure eyes would compel him to bare all his secrets, including his confusing desire for the man. 

""I am truly sorry." he murmurs, his voice low.

"For what?" Dean frowns.

"For getting you involved. I ...I never meant for anyone to get hurt or..." he began, speaking from   
his heart now. If Humora ever had some way to find out that Sam and Dean had been helping him, he knew she'd find a way to get them out of the way. And then he'd get them killed just like he'd gotten everyone else back home killed. 

"Woah, slow down. Easy now. It's okay Cas. No one's hurt. Sammy and I are fine. It's not on you, you hear me?" Dean states firmly, hand back on his shoulder.

"Yeah Cas. We're fine and you're safe here. Don't worry, we don't have to go to Jody unless you want to. Okay?" Sam adds, nodding reassurance at him. 

He looks at them both, hesitating a bit, but then nods in agreement. He'd take this new life one step at a time. Literally and figuratively. Until he found a way to avenge his people and his family. There had to be a way out. There's always a way, he recites in his mind, remembering Gabriel's words to him. They'd both play explorers when they were younger, raiding the various sunken ships in the area. And everytime they encountered something dangerous like an electric eel or a shark, they would both have to find the nearest escape route out of the ship which was always hard to find. And when he panicked, Gabe would always grin at him and say, 'There's always a way out, baby bro.' 

Smiling sadly at the memory of Gabriel, he nods once more.   
"Okay."

.........  
The moon sheds its frosty glitter all over the earth outside, the cool night air rustling the dry, brown leaves just outside the bunker. Dean is cleaning up the kitchen while Sam busies himself with fixing up one of the various guest bedrooms for Castiel. Cas is fast asleep on the 'soft sponge' as he likes to call it; not just a couch, as Dean insists it is. It's been a very eventful and tiring day for everyone, so they all welcome the night's calming silence. 

When Sam finishes with the guest room, he pads downstairs in his t-shirt and briefs, with socks on his feet. He notices Castiel snoozing quietly on the couch and decides to check on Dean first. His brother's just wiping his hands dry as he enters the kitchen. 

"Hey." he says, grabbing a bottle of water off the cabinet. "Set up the guest room for Cas."

"Oh, ....that's great." Dean replies distractedly. He's still in his jeans and black t-shirt that he'd been wearing earlier after they'd left the boat. 

"You okay man?" Sam pushes, raising an eyebrow. 

"'Course I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Dean retorts. He was not in the mood for one of Sam's heart to hearts. 

"I mean with Cas. Are you cool with him staying here for a few nights until he figures out where to go next?" Sam spells out, his every word exaggerated much to Dean's annoyance. 

"Yeah, I guess. I mean the dude doesn't exactly have anywhere else to go Sam." 

Sam sighs, running long fingers through his silky hair.   
"Have you noticed anything weird about him?" 

Dean frowns.   
"I mean, he's a bit of a softie for a guy but I think that's just because of his near death experience. Why?" 

Shaking his head, Sam waves off the question.   
"Never mind."

Dean narrows his eyes at him but presses no further. He's way too tired to get into any mysteries at the moment. Just a hot shower and sleep is all he wants. 

"I'm going to bed." Sam yawns, gesturing at the sleeping form of Cas on the couch.   
"Take him to the guest room?" 

Rolling his eyes, Dean grumbles as he waves off Sam. He pads over to the couch gently, contemplating on whether he should wake Cas or just try to carry him while he's asleep. He studies the sleeping beauty for a minute or two, but then decides against waking him. Hoping he made the right decision, he lifts Cas, who's light as a feather, in his arms. 

The minute they touch, Cas begins doing his weird ass snuggling thing again, but this time his face is buried in Dean's neck. He's still asleep thankfully, so Dean doesn't have to feel embarrassed for them both. But it's still uncomfortable. The way Cas just keeps his face there, rubbing his nose into Dean's flesh as if he's scenting him. And the way his lips brush Dean's Adam's apple, making the blonde haired, totally straight guy *feel* things. 

Dean hurries up the stairs to the guest room, desperate to just dump the snuggler on the bed and skeddadle. He almost cries in relief when he reaches the bed. It's with much difficulty that he peels Cas off of himself before dropping him onto the bed like a ragdoll. The moron is still thankfully asleep through it all and Dean thanks God for the small mercy before leaving the room.

In the shower, Dean revels in the feeling of the steaming needles of water hammering into his skin, soothing the tight knots and muscles in his back. He tries to forget the stressful day he's had and just tries to focus on how good the water pressure feels all over his body. He's successful for a few minutes and everything's fine. Until a certain pair of blue eyes appear in his mind and his eyes pop open in surprise. 

"The hell..." he murmurs to himself, the water suddenly growing too cold even though it's still steaming. He's seen that particular shade of blue before. He swears it .....but he can't, for the life of him, place where. Cas seemed so familiar earlier. It's like they've met before but neither can remember where. Something about Cas felt warm and kind, sweet even. He could sense an innocence in the boy at certain times, but other times, he could feel an underlying power pulsing just beneath that soft exterior. 

The memory of Cas wiping away the stupid tear from his cheek instantly comes to mind and Dean feels a spark run down his spine. There was a quiet authority in Cas's expression then that held Dean in place while the moment lasted. And Dean knew that Cas felt it too; a questionable bond between them that felt almost like nostalgia. 

"You're sleepy man." Dean gruffly tells himself, running rough hands through his wet hair before turning the shower off. 

Dean gets no sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 9 is almost done like ...literally a few more sentences lol and i've got an idea of how i want this storyline to progress. Anyway, i feel like a dick for taking so long and i deserve whatever punishment is deemed suitable. (pssst; go easy on me!) xD


	9. Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm in love with the shape of you, ... we're talkin bodies, you got a perfect one. If only Gabe knew just how much Cassie knew about bodies ;) Dean's resolve is tested, Sammy's still a cutie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here it is, the piece de resistance! Chappo 9, hope you beautiful people had a wonderful Valentine's day. And i cannot wait for tomorrow's episode! Mandy be flirting with Dean's bae. Bish better look out. lol, much love, Sam_Haine.

Chapter 9 -Steps

King Triton is smiling proudly at him as cheers and applause erupt from amongst the merfolk. He can see his brothers; gathered at attention looking at him with pride shining in their eyes as well. He's done it! After years of training, he's finally a soldier. Finally a part of the force. His heart swells in his chest as the folks all run over to congratulate him once the ceremony is over. It's all he's ever wanted. And it just happened! 

"Cas?" he hears his name being called softly and suddenly his eyes lazily blink open. The beautiful dream dissolves and he no longer feels good. It's like a heavy stone has replaced his heart now and all he can do is sigh. Another day without his family, another day away from home. And another day as a human, with two legs and weird, wiggly toes. 

Frowning, he sits up with much difficulty to examine the limbs. He hasn't had the chance to explore them since his 'rescue' from the sea. He lets his fingers run along the smooth, pale skin of his feet. It feels soft, almost rubbery if not a bit like his tail only less scaly and less slimy. Okay so not like his tail at all. Skin he realizes is very dry which he's not used to. Back at home, everything was wet.

He moves his fingers further up from his feet to the long extension of what feels like a very long bone that runs from the bend in his leg, down to his feet. His legs are completely smooth, waxy and beautiful he thinks begrudgingly, wondering why Humora casted a spell that gave him such wonderful human parts? 

When he gets to the area between his legs, his eyes widen in surprise. It's completely smooth and flat and neat. There's just a thin slit in the skin which reveals pink, soft folds that glisten as if he's wet. He frowns deeply, recalling that of all the male genitalia he's seen, which wasn't alot, no merman ever looked like this. If anything, mermaids had features similar to this; the slit and then the receptive folds of skin that was penetrated by the merman's organ. That organ was a protruding column of hard flesh that emerged from the front of the tail which produced something that would lead to offspring. If Gabriel only knew just how much Cassie had learned about mating, or "sex" as the humans called it, he'd have a heart attack. 

Touching the wet skin sent a deep and powerful feeling throughout his entire body and he gasped, pleasantly surprised. His fingers rubbed carefully over the soft, extremely sensitive skin, and his eyes narrowed when he realised that they were going deeper and deeper inside him. It felt so good, but confusion still clouded his mind. Why the hell would Humora curse him with mermaid genitalia? 

A sharp stab of pain shot through the center right where his fingers had been exploring, causing him to hiss in pain and yank his hand away from it. If he'd known better, he would've realised that the pain was as a result of his virginity and having never been penetrated. He lied there on the soft rock that Sam had called a bed, chest heaving and a light sheen of sweat on his skin. It had been so wonderful to touch, up until he went too deep and hurt himself. 

There's a sudden knock outside his door and he quickly yanks the sheets over himself. Modesty had never been a problem for merfolk, but even Cas knew that exposing one's genitals to another -unless it involved mating- was never a normal thing. It was weird, and otherwise impolite to do so. The door opens gingerly to reveal none other than Dean. 

Cas feels his heart convulse like a dying, wriggling eel in his chest at the sight of the perfect human. His blonde hair is unkempt yet has a certain order in it's chaos that just makes the man look more endearing. Those eyes of emerald green are roaming all over Cas's flushed and sweating body before they meet his own hooded eyes and stay there. He squirms under the stare and instead lowers his eyes to take in the dark blue t-shirt Dean is sporting, impressive muscles bulging under the soft looking material. He's wearing the thing he called 'boxer shorts' yesterday and they look good. 

Cas's eyes instantly flicker back to Dean's face at the sound of the man clearing his throat.   
"Mornin'." Dean greets, a slight smile on his face. 

"Good morning." Castiel replies, brightly. The voice in the back of his head yells at him to "be normal". He has no idea what that is.

"Can I come in?" The dreamy looking man asked, looking anywhere but at him. 

Cas has no idea what the man just said but he nods dumbly, chewing his bottom lip as Dean suddenly enters the room. His heart is doing something weird in his chest while his hands resist the urge to reach out to him and be wrapped up in that warm embrace. Oh how he wishes he could tell Dean that they've met before. Cas feels as if he's dying, keeping that from Dean. If he could just say, "I am the one who gripped you tight and carried you to shore, away from certain death!" 

"Sleep well?" The low timbre of Dean's voice suddenly snaps him out of his reverie and back to the present. Dean's inside a small cave in the corner of the room looking through some pieces of clothing that were hanging from the ceiling of the cave. What was the question again? Oh, right.

"Yes I did. I am indebted to you and your brother. Thank you for your mercies." he answers humbly, bowing his head slightly in a sign of respect. He misses the weird look that Dean gives him.

"Uhh, yeah sure man. No problem." 

There's an awkward silence mostly from Dean after that; Cas just stares directly into his friggin' soul with a stupid smile on his cute, dumb face looking like a content puppy just happy to be with his human. Huge blue eyes blink brightly up at him. 

"Uh, so anyway, why don't we get you washed up and then I'll take you down for breakfast?" Dean suggested, that twisted, semi-unsure grin on his face muddling the ex-merman's brain. He simply nods in agreement, even though he didn't actually know what the hell breakfast was. Sounded nice though. 

Smiling shyly, he nodded. He quickly sat up and dashed out from under the soft covers to where Dean was standing only just remembering that he had legs now and couldn't walk even if his life literally depended on it. A less than manly squeak came out of him before he crashed into Dean's hard and warm body, face planting in the man's chest. The low grunt from Dean rumbled within his chest as he caught the clumsy, naked boy. 

"Woah. Easy there, Cas." Dean said gruffly, his voice tapering off into a gentle murmur as his emerald eyes locked with aquamarine ones. And by God he swore he could see the deep ocean in them. They stood like that for a moment, awkward yet completely entranced by the other as Cas clung on around Dean's neck for support, while Dean secured firm arms around the ex-merman's slender waist to keep him from falling.   
Staring into Dean's eyes made Castiel think of all the grass and trees and forest leaves he'd seen. They looked like the type of green that glowed when the sunlight was dappling golden through a forests' canopy. The pools of emerald forced him into the prison in his mind that was unachievable thoughts of Dean Winchester. The man's eyes belonged to nature; they shone with ethereal beauty. His fingers dug wantonly into the nape of Dean's neck where there were soft strands of hair. 

He could see Dean's eyes darken and his luscious lips part slightly at the touch as they both continued the stare-down, a heat building up between them. There was a deep, burn of desire and sudden want that he could feel between his thighs and it scared him but excited him at the same. A soft sobbing whimper escaped his lips as he pressed his smaller body closer to Dean's, the friction driving him insane with pleasure. 

"Cas ..." Dean rasped, his voice low and husky with emotion as he placed a firm hand on Cas's bare hip. The touch wasn't encouraging but it wasn't completely dismissive either. It was just there; a warm hand on his skin that felt like the therapeutic roll of a tidal wave. 

"Stop." 

Cas froze at the serious tone of Dean's voice and ceased his indulgences at once. The beautiful human did not sound happy at all and it scared him. 

"I'm sorry." he apologized, quickly moving to pull away from the haven and refuge that was Dean's body. Dean quickly grabbed him before he could crash to the floor, tight grip back around the slender waist. 

"It's okay ...I ....it's not your fault." Dean muttered, looking anywhere but directly at him.   
"Let's just get you in the shower." 

.......  
Castiel's shower had been the worst he's had since being on land. Sam had been so kind and helpful with him the night before; standing vigil right outside the door or the shower stall, letting Cas hold on to him for balance while he rinsed the slippery suds and bubbles of soap from his skin. It had been a struggle, but Sam had been there every step of the way.

His shower with Dean's help had been the exact opposite since Dean had excused himself from the bathroom the minute Cas got in. He'd been holding onto the slippery tile walls for dear life since then, hoping that Dean would've come back. It felt like an eternity and still, no sign of the green eyed man. Sighing in despair, he decided to try showering with one hand while the other held on to the walls. 

He'd managed to wash his hair and was now scrubbing his body with some citrus scented body wash that bubbled and lathered immensely. He breathed in the sweet smell sadly, thinking about Dean, and how angry the man was at him. He couldn't believe how stupid he'd been, throwing himself on Dean like that when the man was clearly not interested. Guess desperation was a trait that was frowned upon by both merfolk and humans. It was his stupid desire, he thought crossly, glaring down at the flat, smooth skin just between his legs. Maybe Humora did in fact curse him with genitalia that sent his entire body into endorphin-shock every time he came into contact with humans. But it wasn't just any human, it was just Dean. It was always Dean. 

Sighing again he moved to reach for the body wash again when his grip on the wall slipped, sending him crashing to the hard floor. He shrieked in pain as his entire side collided with the unforgiving tiles, sending a sharp lancing throb through his hip. Water kept pouring cold like the waves in his face as he tried to drag himself away from the spray. "Ow."

"Cas!" 

Dean's shout startled him from his predicament, and he turned just in time to see the man rushing past the door, a look of deep concern on his face.   
"Oh crap, you okay?" Dean fussed, gripping him tight and lifting him into his arms, bridal style.  
"I'm so sorry ...God I'm such an idiot!" he murmured, carrying him into the closest room which turned out to be Dean's. Resting Cas down carefully on the bed, drenched and all, he searched out some thick, fluffy towels, wrapping the things around the wet creature on his bed. 

"I'm really sorry Cas." he started again, rubbing Cas's dark wet hair dry. Cas simply sat there dejected, his side throbbing in pain.   
"It's okay Dean. I'm fine." he muttered, missing the eye roll Dean gave him. 

"No you're not. Lemme take a look at that." Dean ordered gently, brushing the towels aside to assess the damages. Cas quickly closed in on himself, gripping the towels round his waist tighter. He was not about to let Dean see his abnormal genitalia and he sure as hell wasn't going to let Dean that close again. His body was the reason Dean was mad in the first place. 

"No!" he blurted out, immediately making the blonde raise both arms in a surrender stance, backing away from him slightly. 

"Woah, ....just take it easy ....m'not gonna hurt you." he rumbled gently, green eyes reflecting just how sorry he was for leaving Cas alone in the first place.   
"I'm not gonna hurt you Cas. B ..but I need to check to see if you're hurt."

"I'm fine." Cas bit out, more harshly than he'd wanted. He cringed inwardly when he saw Dean's beautiful face fall in hurt and disappointment. But he decided that it was best if Dean left him alone. There was no way Cas was gonna let himself slip up like he did earlier. 

"Okay ....if you're sure. I ...I just wanted to make sure...anyway, ....guess I'll just wait outside for ya. Just call me when you're done." Dean said awkwardly before walking swiftly out of the room, waiting just behind the door. 

Cas sighed the minute Dean left the room, his little mermaid heart pulsing with the effort it took to let Dean go without telling him he was sorry. He found himself overly emotional about everything that concerned Dean Winchester. And it was all so new to him. So complex. Back home, love relations were so simple. Two merfolk finding their bond with each other and mating shortly after. No complexities, no beautiful green eyes and certainly no Dean Winchester. Shaking his head he quickly got rid of his morbid thoughts and began struggling with the clothes he'd been given. 

The trip to breakfast wasn't as eventful as his shower had been but Castiel found himself enjoying the silence between them. Dean, who still looked awkward and awfully apologetic, smiled slightly at him before serving him a plate of "breakfast". 

Cas had been staring at his plate weirdly for a while before Dean cleared his throat gingerly.  
"You've never eaten bacon and pancakes before?" 

Cas looked up at him, blushing shamefully. If only he'd known.   
"No, I. ..I've never." he murmured, sticking his fingers in the honey golden liquid on his pancake stack. He popped the fingers into his mouth, blatantly sucking at the syrup on them and was pleasantly shocked by the sweetness. 

"Ooh! That tastes wonderful!" he gushes around a mouthful of syrupy fingers. 

Dean almost chokes in amusement as he watches Cas completely indulge himself in the maple-almond syrup. He can feel himself smiling and it's one of the purest and happiest emotion he's felt all week. The little dude is completely reveling in his first experience with pancakes and syrup. How cute could he get? Seriously, stuffing his entire fist in his mouth like a toddler eating chocolate for the first time.

"Well if you think that's awesome, you should try the bacon." he grinned, gesturing at the four strips of crispy bacon on Cas's plate. 

Big, blue eyes immediately riveted to them and Cas grabs one strip, tugging off a piece with his teeth, again like an excited toddler. He chewed, looking thoughtful for a minute before his eyes widened in absolute excitement.   
"Wow! It's so good!" he squealed, chewing enthusiastically. 

Dean chuckled proudly to himself, satisfied as he turned Cas into a bacon convert. It felt like a great accomplishment.   
"Seriously dude, where the hell'd you live that they never fed you bacon?" 

He regretted the question the minute it left his stupid mouth and it showed. He knew damn well that Cas couldn't remember squat from his past. And though Dean could admit that Cas's odd, holistic amnesia was a bit suspicious, the boy hadn't given them reason not to trust him yet. So, now he felt like a dick, bringing up something like that. 

Cas was smiling sadly now, his eyes downcast, chewing on his pancakes and bacon somberly. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." Dean began but Cas shook his head. 

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean it. It's hard to remember, yes. But that doesn't mean you should be walking around on broken corals around me, right?" he joked, giving Dean his best reassuring smile. He felt even worse for lying to the man once again. And did he just say corals?! His entire existence was based on a lie. What would Dean think of him of he ever found out?

*'No! Dean would never find out because you'll find help and you'll be gone before Dean figures you out!'*

"Corals?" Dean echoed, his face twisted in a weird, confused way. 

Cas paled, but suddenly found himself interrupted by the blaring sound of Dean's phone. Oh, thank Poseidon for small mercies!

"Hey Sam."   
.............  
Cas sat excitedly in the front seat of Dean's 'Baby' while the man worked under the black hood. Dean had told him that Baby's model was a 1967 Chevy Impala. The words meant nothing to Cas of course, but he could appreciate how much the car meant to Dean, seeing how the man smiled and how his eyes lit up every time he talked about her. 

"I think Baby's gorgeous Dean." he commented after Dean was chuckling at his expense about how he didn't know a carburetor cap from a Cadillac. 

"Well, thanks." Dean grinned, some kind of black oil smeared across his face as he raised up from the hood.   
"Y'know, I've had this car for as long as I can remember."

"Yeah?" 

"Yeah. It belonged to my Dad, but he'd always let me drive it even when he was perfectly able to. I think my old man always knew Baby would be mine someday." 

There was a beautiful nostalgia in Dean's voice when he spoke of his father and it pierced Cas straight through his heart. Days had passed and still, no help ....no word from home and no way to get back. His father might as well have suffered the same fate as Dean's had. Humora had truly granted him a horrible existence. Cursed to spend the rest of his days alone and in absolute misery. He felt another one of those stupid tears roll down his face but quickly wiped it away before Dean noticed. 

"Your father, what happened to him?" he asked timidly.

There was a long pause and a deep sigh from Dean before he answered.  
"Lost at sea. The ship he was on crashed ...they never found his body." 

Cas frowned sadly, recalling all of the shipwrecks he'd ever witnessed from afar. He'd never seen any of the faces of sailors nor would he have known John Winchester back then. But it still made him feel sad and somewhat guilty for what had happened to Dean's father.   
"I'm so sorry." 

Dean smiled at him from where he was standing by the hood.  
"It's cool. Hey, you wanna fire up the engine for me?" 

Cas's eyes grew wider with excitement as he nodded vigorously.   
Dean chuckled.  
"Well just turn the key there, it's already in."

After a couple of exploratory minutes, Dean heard the sweet rumbling purr of his Baby's smooth running engine and he gave a celebratory fist pump.   
"Yeah!" 

Cas giggled along with him, hand still on the keys in the ignition. Another car pulled up into the garage, Cas reveling in the dry crunching of gravel under rubber wheels. Land sounds were so much more alive and animated than the usual gurgled wavelengths undersea. Sam alighted the maroon vehicle, looking especially dapper in his black suit and shiny briefcase. He grinned wryly as he approached them.

"Hey guys." 

"Hello Sam." Cas greeted cheerfully, gesturing wildly to the keys in the ignition.  
"Look! I helped Dean start up Baby!" he boasted with all the pride of a three year old. 

Sam chuckled, a bit in awe as he tossed an exaggerated gape Dean's way.  
"Wow Dean, you let him fire up the engine? Wait a second ...he's in the driver's seat too? I've gotta tell Bobby this. Where is he anyway?" 

"Went into town since morning to meet up with an old friend." Dean responded, making air quotes about Bobby's old friend. "And yeah, Cas is in the front seat. I had to make up for earlier." 

"Earlier? What happened earlier?" Sam questioned, his voice suddenly took on a grave tone, a severely arched eyebrow shown Dean's way. 

"It's nothing." Cas quickly tried to amend but Dean stopped him. 

"No it's not nothing Cas. I was stupid and you got hurt." 

"Hurt? What? Dean ..." Sam sputtered incredulously, although he kinda looked as if he was expecting things to go this way. 

"Look I left him in the shower for a ...couple of minutes and ...he ...kinda, sorta slipped and fell." Dean muttered, looking sheepish. 

Sam gaped before slapping a flat palm to his forehead.   
"Oh God no. Dean!" he sighed before going over to Cas to check on him. 

"I'm fine Sam really." Cas began but Sam silenced him with a look. The ex-merman sighed dejectedly as the bigger Winchester ordered him to raise his arms up. He obeyed, feeling like a child that's been scolded, his skin breaking out in goosebumps as Sam's fingers gently brushed his grey t-shirt up a little. 

"Yup, that's a bad bruise." Sam diagnosed as he carefully poked and prodded at the bruise that looked like a huge messed up tattoo of black, blue and purple, kinda like those messy rib tattoos that punks got. 

Dean cringed hard as he peered at the injury from behind Sam, looking ashamed now. He was a bit put off that Cas let Sam close enough to check the bruise and not him, but he got over that quickly.

"Cas I ....I'm ...sorry." he repeated sheepishly. 

Cas shook his head.  
"And I told you it wasn't your fault." 

Sam sighed.  
"Well whoevers fault it was, that's still a bad bruise Cas. Come on, let's put some ointment on that." 

He shoved his briefcase and coat into Dean's hands unceremoniously before lifting Cas into his arms to carry him back to the bunker. Cas chuckled softly at the dry, unimpressed look Dean tossed at Sam. 

"Oh what are you laughin' at?" the elder Winchester grumbled, but the slight grin on his face betrayed his amusement.


	10. Chapter 10 -Science And Progress, Do Not Speak as loud as my Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Humans ...they were capable of such profound joy ...and yet, such profound pain. They were intriguing as they were destructive and every part of Castiel hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 10 was left bare for so long and I couldn't just leave it there. I love this story too much and I love you guys too much to slack off on my responsibilities. We have an obligation to Destiel and I do sincerely apologize for my tardiness. My last two exams are close, so I cannot wait to get those over with so I can continue writing for you. It's been too long and I feel like SPN s12 e19; "Cas is back" and so am I. I have watched episode 20 and oh man, I gotta say it was beautifully melancholic. :'( Anyway, you guys deserve the best so here it is. Capter 11 will soon be on its way. Much love, Sam_Haine

Chapter 10 -Science and Progress Do Not Speak As Loud As My Heart

In the real world, Dean's face was set with a cheeky ass smile that crinkled his face in pure joy. In dreamland, it was even better. He was laid back on his memory foam bed, against a huge mound of fluffy pillows, with an eager body straddling his waist wantonly. They were both fully clothed, and the interaction was anything but sexual; but he still felt like the happiest man alive. Soft, gentle and loving kitten kisses were pressed to his lips, making him shiver with warmth and he felt himself respond in kind, hands gripping round the slender waist to pull that tiny body closer to his. Their hips were perfectly aligned now, they were both clearly aroused, but never feeling the need to rush things. This wasn't reflective of his usual hookups at all. 

When he opened his eyes slowly, blinking and peering just past his thick, wispy lashes, he saw a pair of crystal blue eyes staring right into his soul. They were so pretty, they couldn't have possibly been real. But there he was; Castiel, the boy they'd rescued from sea, now a cute, sweet and dizzying addiction that Dean didn't want to save himself from. Those blue eyes watched and followed his every move. Traced the features of his face, and reflected nothing but love. 

He giggled before lowering his head to plant another one in Dean's lips before resting his head on his chest, resting there, warm and content. Dean felt a wide smile tug at his lips and he felt it all iver his own face; he was happy. Truly happy as he stroked a hand under the t-shirt Cas was wearing, feeling the smooth, heated skin there. A soft purring erupted from the boy and Dean let out a relieving laugh as he felt it rumble his own chest. This was paradise, he thought. 

A sharp knock on his door shattered his dream though, and he felt his heart clench painfully as his brain tried to chase after it but everything halted once he opened his eyes. He growled low in his throat as he heard the morbid knocking again. 

"What!" he snarled, tossing a perfectly good pillow at his door. 

"I'm heading out." Sam announced as he opened Dean's door gingerly, peering in like a cat. 

"Did you really have to wake me for that Sammy?" he muttered childishly into his pillow. 

"Uh, no but I wanted to." Sam grinned. "Besides it's your own fault. I need to give you instructions on how to take care of Cas without breaking his hip." 

Dean's fluffy bed head rose up from his pillow like a spooked deer.  
"What're you talkin about man? I don't need instructions." 

"Apparently you do Dean. He spent one day with you and he got a slip in the shower and a huge bruise on his side for it. I'm afraid for him spending two days with you."

"He'll be fine Sam." Dean groused, planting his face right back into his pillow. 

"Yeah, I don't believe you. So, help him with his shower, put some clothes on him, feed him -are you even listening to me?" 

"No Sammy, I'm not." 

Sam's eye began to twitch with his annoyance and he knew it was childish but he couldn't help but pick up the pillow Dean had thrown at him and smack his brother upside the head with it. Hard. 

"Ow! What the hell man!" Dean cried, rubbing the back of his head dramatically.

"It's a pillow you wuss."

"Sam-!"

"Look, I don't have time to argue with you, work starts in an hour. Just make sure he doesn't hurt himself again, please. And talk to him some more, see if he remembers anything else." 

"Why?" 

"Even though he says he can't remember squat I still want to help him find at least a distant relative or something. We can't keep him here without exploring the possibilities. It won't be fair to Cas." 

Dean sighed, sitting upright in his bed.  
"I get it okay. I want to help him find his family too but every time I bring up the past or his family he clams the fuck up, and then gets this wounded creature look in his eyes. And he becomes distant and I'm forced to drop the subject." 

Sam looks down, and sighs knowingly.  
"Yeah, it'll be hard at first. I mean we couldn't talk about losing Dad for a while."

"Sam-" Dean interrupted but Sam held a hand up.

"Okay, didn't mean to go down memory lane. Look, just get him comfortable around you, earn his trust. And then maybe he'll talk ....maybe he'll remember. I've gotta get to work. Later." 

Sam left Dean half asleep, half awake, shuffling around in bed like a confused yet content toddler. He buried his face back into his pillow, willing himself to sleep out the meager hours of dawn he had left. 

.......

When Dean woke up, he cast an accusatory glare at the alarm clock on his nightstand which had failed to wake him up early. The offending 12:23 PM seemed to glow an even brighter red the longer he glared. God, he felt like crap for waking up so late but at the same time, he couldn't complain because the sleep had been exquisite. His back cracked with soft pops as he stretched lazily and cat-like shoving some pillows off the bed in the process. 

A soft smile suddenly spread across his face and he could feel it in his eyes as flashes of his dream played through his mind. His absolutely non-innocent dream about Cas sitting contentedly on top of him, kissing him softly, lovingly. Those gorgeous blue eyes sparkling with adoration and amazement at him. Dean couldn't remember the last time anyone had ever looked at him with that much passion but then he quickly reminded himself that it was only a dream and no one could ever love someone like him. But he would have loved to live in the dream for just a moment longer and welcome the deceit with open arms.

There was a nagging voice in his head reminding him that Cas was all too male and that was usually not his cup of tea. Dean knew fully well the same fact ...but for some reason, when it came to the blue eyed boy wonder, all logic and reasoning went out of the goddamn window. Something about Cas Dean couldn't seem to put his finger on....ironically there were a lot of things about Cas Dean would now, secretly like to put his fingers on. 

He shook his head sheepishly, berating himself mentally for his perverted tendencies before his stomach dropped in the worst of ways. 

"Cas!" He called, scampering off his bed to see if the boy had woken up and if so, what trouble he'd gotten himself into. Oh shit! He'd promised Sam he would keep a better eye on things. You done messed up Dean! he thought running across the hall to Cas's room. 

"Cas?" His voice echoed its worry into the master bedroom that Cas had taken up temporary residence in but there was no clumsy blue eyed boy under the sheets. The sheets that were rolled up and messily draped on the floor, Dean noted with passing interest. Oh sweet Jesus, what if Cas had attempted to shower and had slipped and cracked his stupid head because he couldn't friggin' stand?! Oh God Sam would kill him!.

"Cas?!" he yelled, the panic rising in his voice, making it waver. His stomach dropped again when he heard the water running as he entered the bathroom. Behind the frosty glass he could see the blurred profile of a standing figure amidst steamy clouds. Without thinking, he approached the shower stall quietly, opening it, the glass door sliding quietly as if wanting him to go on. It succeeded. 

His eyes widened when the vision of Cas became crystal clear and he was greeted by a smooth back, sharp shoulder blades and a pert butt, the creamy skin dappled with sparkling drops of water that looked just at home on Cas's skin. He swallowed gingerly, the sound of his gulp extremely loud in the self-induced quiet he'd forced himself to become. His throat felt dry with the effort it took to formulate the right words. He screamed internally at himself to say something or get the hell out of there before Cas noticed him. But it was much too late and some selfish part of himself that willed his dream to come true had him rooted to the spot as Cas reached to switch off the water. The silence became him then and he had to say something. 

"Cas." he rasped quietly as the smaller male was turning around causing him to yelp in shock and lose his footing. 

Dean caught him in his strong arms though. And it was beautiful. 

Castiel looked up at him with eyes as blue and as wide as the ocean, soft pink lips looking just as they had in his dream. Try as he might, he couldn't stop his hand from reaching up and caressing that smooth, shaven cheek, fingers sliding down and tracing those perfect lips. 

"Dean?" he heard him whimper, felt his wet arms wrap round his neck, in support either because he couldn't stand any longer or Dean had made him go all jello down there. He hoped it was the second one because by God Dean was going to kiss himself a Castiel, and he was not sorry. A soft, slow rumbling erupted in his chest as he lowered his head, lining his mouth up with that of his lover (he had no idea how that terminology ended up in his vocabulary but fuck it, cos this was happening) and pressed their lips together, kissing with all the passion he had until he could feel Cas responding to him. And when Cas tilted his head to deepen the liplock, Dean felt his resolve break -no, shatter into a million pieces because fuck this is what home felt like. 

A timid whimper came out of Cas and woke Dean out of his reverie where he was waxing romantic. He pulled away quickly, eyeing Cas nervously as the smaller man licked his lips happily, blue eyes sparkling contentedly at him.   
"Dean? .......Are you alright?" Cas muttered, still holding on to him. 

Dean shook his head and nodded at the same time, he was so out of it.   
"Yeah I ...I mean I'm. ...I'm fine Cas. Sorry I. ...imposed on your privacy. ...I was just ..." he began, fully aware of how stupid his stuttering made him sound. He was effectively shut up by a small, quick and super cute peck to the cheek.

"It's okay. You didn't do anything wrong." Cas giggled quietly, a hot blush rising to his cheeks cutely. 

Dean grinned back at him, emerald eyes dazzling with awe and something stupid. God he needed to get a grip! He reached out blindly behind him, grabbing the fluffy white towel hanging just outside the door. Smirking, he secured it around Cas's slim waist, winking up at the blushing boy but also trying to respect his privacy and not let his eyes roam too far past that slim waist.   
"C'mon." he whispered, holding him around the waist protectively. 

Cas held on to him until they got to his temporary room, and he was sitting quietly on the bed, dangling his legs off the edge while Dean rummaged through the closet for some clothes. His lips tingled with the memory of Dean kissing them, sucking gently on them, licking at them. That warm feeling between his legs gave way to a much hotter sensation that burned in his stomach and felt like molten liquid running down his center. He sighed nervously, nerves alight with anticipation. 

On the other side of the room, Dean appeared to be searching deep inside the closet for clothes. Only, he wasn't actually looking for anything and instead had his face buried deep in the pile of jeans and t-shirts, silently cursing himself for what he'd just done. His heart was racing as if he'd just run a marathon with Sam and he immediately found himself cringing at the thought of kissing Cas. 

What the hell just happened?! 

At the moment, it seemed the right thing to do. It was because of that stupid dream he'd had earlier, he reasoned. Those mental images had somehow become impressed upon his emotions and he'd just acted on them. Yes, that was it. He woke up stupid and acted out because of some delusional dream. Of course, Cas wouldn't see it that way ...but then again, Dean figured he could simply play it down as him being laggy from sleeping in so late. Cas would just have to understand that Dean wasn't the person for him, regardless of how nice that liplock had been. Despite the fact that Dean knew in his heart that Cas lit up his world every time he was with him. That Cas made him feel things that he hadn't felt in a long, long time. He hadn't even felt like that with his old flame Lisa; and she was pretty special to him. Cas, he decided, couldn't mean so much to him. 

His thoughts began spiralling in quick succession as he yanked a pair of faded black jeans and a grey tee. He grit his teeth, jaw muscles flexing with the pressure as he turned around to Cas who seemed preoccupied with his legs on the bed. He did his best to school and reign in his typical hardened glare as he approached the brunette on the bed, thrusting the clothes at him before moving to stand at the door. 

"Get dressed." he rumbled, crossing his arms as he leant on the door frame, frowning at everything but Cas with hard green eyes. 

Cas, who had been clueless to Dean's rapid emotional turnaround attempted to put on the clothes as quickly as he could, eager to just crash into Dean's arms again. He'd gotten a taste of that beautiful human with the sparkly emerald eyes and couldn't help himself now, even if he tried. His extremities were still hot and throbbing with the memory and the feel of Dean's lips on his; and his hands on his naked body. 

Chewing on his lower lip excitedly, he zipped up the faded black jeans, after pulling the tshirt over his head. His eyes glinted with adventurous excitement as he saw Dean looking away from him. This was the perfect opportunity to test out his walking as he'd been practicing for the past few days. He figured Dean would be proud to see his progress. It was a short distance from the bed to the door where Dean was standing anyway; he was sure he could make it. 

Trying to be as quiet as possible, he held on tightly to the bedpost, pushing himself off of the springy mattress. The carpeted ground beneath his feet suddenly felt harder underfoot with the pressure exerted from him standing. Big blue eyes winced in absolute focus and concentration, pink tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth as he took one step forward, hands still clutching the bedpost for dear life. At his second step, he startled when he heard Dean's cross-toned voice explode into the room like a firecracker. 

"What the hell Cas? I told you I'd carry you downstairs!" Dean snapped at the boy who now looked morose and completely ashamed at what he'd done. He lowered himself quietly back onto the bed with his blue gaze trained on his feet. 

"I'm s...sorry Dean. I just wanted to surprise you." He muttered, sounding absolutely crushed. 

"Why would that surprise me?" Dean grunted tastelessly, bringing Cas into the usual bridal carry. 

"Well ...I've been practicing. ..y'know, to walk properly. Thought you would've wanted to... never mind." Cas tapers off his explanation, Dean's harsh green stare making him feel incredibly stupid. Both of them are dead silent as Dean carries him down the stairs, setting him down at the island as soon as they reach the kitchen. 

They eat in a cold silence that has Cas on edge as he sits opposite an extremely pensive Dean. He opens his mouth to speak but instead closes it when emerald eyes flick up to stare pointedly at him. He hasn't even touched his breakfast yet. Sighing, he coughs up the appetite to take a few bites of his pancakes. But after he almost chokes on some bites he puts down his fork in favour of sitting slumped in a dejected pile at the breakfast table. It takes a while before he hears Dean sigh tiredly from across him. 

"Are you done eating?" 

Cas frowns a little before nodding, not looking directly at the angry Winchester. Dean immediately rises from his seat, whisking away the plates before moving to the sink to do the dishes. Cas watches his back from the table quietly, noting the tense bunching of muscles at his back as he rinses the wares with probably a bit more force than was required. 

It was a hard pill to swallow for Cas who, before becoming cursed by Humora had known diddlysquat about love or relationships with others. He was already confused by the sensation between his legs every time Dean got close; and now when he finally got comfortable with the idea of intimacy, Dean kisses him and then goes completely cold after, leaving him reeling from the rollercoaster of emotions. Dean Winchester, love, sexual desire- they were all one big trip that Cas was slowly becoming weary of. Sighing, he felt a tear slip down his face as he rests his forehead on the table. 

"I'm gonna work on Baby ...you coming?"   
He startles from the rough sound of Dean's voice over him and then shrugs, unsure. 

Dean huffs rudely before retreating to the garage, leaving Cas in a very quiet kitchen. 

.........

A couple hours later, Dean found himself immersed in Baby's tune up, but his mind plagued with thoughts of Cas. Every turn of the wrench, every twist of a distributor cap was met with a flashing image of Cas's face, marred with hurt and confusion. He shouldn't have kissed him in the first place, he thought, slamming down the hood of the car. It all started with that stupid dream! He glanced at the time on his watch and realised it was almost lunch. How much time had he spent stewing in his emotions than actually working on Baby? Growling, he packed up his tools in the metal box and put it back in its rightful place before going back to the bunker. 

"Cas I'm gonna wash up and then start lun-" He began but froze when he saw that the kitchen was empty. Oh crap. 

"Cas?" No answer. "Cas!" he called out with a bit more urgency. 

"Dean?" a soft and muffled voice sounded from the living room area. 

Following the voice, Dean finds Cas on the sofa, legs tucked underneath himself, head lying dejectedly on the armrest. He looked so small curled up in the corner of the sofa and Dean could feel the twinge of sympathy aching in his chest. Sighing, he approached him cautiously, sitting next to him on the far corner. Cas's eyes were downcast and seemed heavy with limitless worry and sorrow. He just looked lifeless and uncharacteristically sad, as if he'd just lost his puppy or his family or something. Then Dean remembered and he rolled his eyes at himself for his stupidity. 

"Look, Cas ...uh ..." he began but Cas spoke up almost immediately.

"It's okay Dean." The sound of his own voice, pitiful and monotonic made him cringe hard but he made no move to change it. His entire life along with his entire family had perished and the one thing he was completely in love with didn't love him back. Hated him in fact. 

"I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you earlier." Dean finally blurted out roughly. 

Cas shook his head both in denial and dismissal. He didn't want Dean to apologize for being rude but he also couldn't believe that Dean wasn't willing to discuss and explain the reason for the supposedly mistaken kiss.   
"Said it's fine Dean, really." 

He heard a depressed sigh come from the human as he sat next to him on the sofa, albeit a safe distance apart. He could feel the man next to him and it took literally everything in him, down to his last fibre not to crawl into those arms and just lay there. 

"Sam's on his way, ...says he's bringing food." Dean mutters, the harshness wiped from his voice. 

Nodding, Cas moves to stand up and is interrupted by a maniacal Dean.

"Cas what the hell!" The man gasps, but clamps his mouth shut when Cas barely pays him attention.   
"You can walk!" 

Cas feels the urge to snark at Dean and sass him from now until the next moon, but he simply nods.   
"Yeah, Sam's been teaching me." he murmurs, his voice lacking any of Dean's excitement. 

"That's awesome, man. Wait til Sam gets home, he'll be so excited about thi-" Dean begins but is cut off by Cas's emotionless voice. 

"I'm not hungry. I'm gonna go to bed if that's okay." 

"Oh, ...well d'you need any hel-" Dean tries again but is stopped.

"No I'm fine, I'll make it. Thank you Dean. Goodnight." he replies without much excitement for the fact that he's freaking walking. He feels drained, physically and emotionally and can't will himself to put much effort into being happy. He knows it's not Dean's fault that he's hopelessly smitten by the green eyed human, but he suddenly feels emotional about everything that he's been through in the past few days and everything is suddenly all too much. 

He feels the bewildered gaze of Dean on his back as he hobbles up the staircase one foot at a time, hands gripping the handrailing, and it kills him inside. Never used to sad things, his chest contracts painfully as he whimpers quietly before he even reaches his door. Well, nobody said it was easy being human. Nobody said it was easy at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S Y'all can punish me in the comments section. I deserve it, my good people. :] BTW OMG Dean's gift of the tape of his best Zepp hits had me like =_= #youknowyoulovehimDean


	11. All the Pretty Girls Like Samuel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam tries to cut through the thick tension between his brother and the boy they rescued. His idea? Go for a walk in the great King's Port. The little port city is new to Cas, but he never expected to encounter some ghosts from his past. Dean is also dealing with his own demons; but will he ever get over it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMChuck guys. I know it's been a while since I've updated and y'all have been waiting patiently ...or impatiently, for this chapter. I struck out this time around, sp hopefully y'all will still like this chapter. Going through some terrible stuff atm, but I'll always keep fighting. Anyway, enjoy and I love y'all. -Sam_Haine

Chapter 11 -All the Pretty Girls like Samuel

The copper pot of fire gurgled and suddenly exploded in a mushroom cloud of purple smoke, dazzling the hazed couple that sat in front of it. Their eyes were filled with wonder and amazement, the hope and longing not difficult to locate behind their flesh and bones. They were after all, mere mortals. 

"Ah yes. Ruben is at peace. He has passed on to the other side of Death's door and has taken his place amongst the angels in heaven." Said the redheaded woman sitting across the table from the couple. She sat with an ethereal reverence; eyes closed and lips pursed in a knowing pout as she hummed. 

"W..well, can we talk to him?" The tearful woman asked, a syrupy hopefulness in her voice that almost made the redhead roll her eyes. 

"No ye' can't! Weren't ye' listenin', he's passed on." she piped, her Irish accent coming in strong with her impatience. 

"C'mon Madame Pennywhistle, can't you tell us more?" The woman's companion pleaded, the urgency thick in his voice. 

"No I can't." Pennywhistle answered vehemently, turning her pale pointy nose up at them contemptuously. 

After a barrage of harsh words and a threat of legal action, the couple left, hand in hand and stormy as the wind outside. They passed a golden haired man outside Madame Pennywhistle's dainty store and left him a little bit of advice. 

"Hey man, don't bother goin' in there. That lady's a total scammer and a waste of money." 

The golden haired man simply smirked at them and nodded.   
"There's not a doubt in my mind. She does seem to be more of a bitch than a witch."

After they disappeared round the corner of the street, the man entered the shop, spritely smirk still splitting his face. 

"Another set of satisfied customers I see." He teased, as he confidently trotted down the aisle of the dark little shop towards Madame Pennywhistle. 

She shrugged noncommittally, carefully packing away her fortune telling equipment without looking at the man.   
"Well, I do my best always. Joke's on them though, their dear Ruben was drafted to good ol' Mephistopheles' army as soon as he passed." 

The man chuckled knowingly, shaking his head amusedly. 

"Ah Rowena, I've missed you." 

"And I haven't missed you. Or ye' father, or any of yer' kind for that matter. Why the sudden beg for a visit?" 

"Come now MaCleod, you know I wouldn't have phoned if it weren't something ghastly urgent." the man sighed, plopping down on a chair like a dejected child who'd been refused candy. 

Dropping her shoulders in a dramatic show of surrender, Rowena resumed her position opposite the man, resting her elbows on the table, long, spiny fingers intertwined. 

"So tell me Gabriel, what's become of Atlantis?"

........  
Sam Winchester was many things; loving brother, dorky son to the perfect surrogate father, brooding moose full of emotions, he was a lot of things; but naive, he was not. Call it Sammy's intuition, or his elevated consciousness, but he knew something had happened between his brother and Castiel, the boy they'd rescued; something serious. The problem with Dean though...when he wanted to lock off and clam himself up in his own emotions, he could damn well do it. And Sam would be forced into a waiting period until he came out of the stupor. His brother was annoying like that and it never served as a solution to his problems. 

With Cas however, he barely knew the guy, barely knew what made him tick, what made him speak... and what made him so sad all of a sudden. Sam saw him moping about for the past couple of days with an expression of melancholy that somehow suited his uncanny beauty. As if such forlorn was a part of who he was. Which seemed sort of misplaced as he had just recently started taking a few steps without anyone's help. Sam thought he'd at least be happy about that accomplishment. 

But no, instead he was forced to try to keep the atmosphere of the room pleasant whenever Dean and Cas were in it. It was like a one-sided Cold War, where all the hostility came from Dean and none ever came from Cas. He would just sit with them or by himself, head drooped, huge blue eyes staring blankly into his lap. 

"Okay, it's a nice Saturday morning, who wants to go for a stroll downtown at the port?" Sam suggested, looking from left to right at Dean then Cas hopefully. 

"Not me." Dean declares almost pointedly with a short glare at his younger brother before returning his attention to his phone. He had folded himself tightly into the living room sofa after they'd eaten breakfast, Cas and Sam on the sofa opposite him. 

"That sounds good Sam." Cas answers quietly, arms wrapped around his folded up legs. They were so unmanageable at times that he just wanted to cry in frustration and hope that his tail would magically appear. 

Sam's brilliant smile made him smile a bit too.   
"Okay, then it's decided. We're going for a walk." 

Dean raised an eyebrow at his little brother, not bothering to hide his irritation.  
"Well then you and Cas have fun with that. I'm going to bed." 

"Aw c'mon man, don't pretend like you have anything better to do cos I know for a fact that you don't. It's the weekend and I think it'll do us all some good. Unless you want me to drive Baby to town -" 

"Alright fine, I'll go." Dean groused, even more irritated at the thought of Sam driving his Baby. 

........  
"So Humora has taken command of the great city of Atlantis." Rowena surmised, before sipping heartily out of her pearl encrusted wine goblet.   
She appeared to be much too pleased with the fact but Gabriel knew that was to be expected. His father was the one who exiled her from the great city. Hell, it was his fleet who'd carried out the order of exile. Rowena, the redheaded witch used to be a mighty force of contention against Triton. Her power was limitless and after realizing that her time as medicine woman was quickly becoming something much darker, Triton had ordered her exile. She had broken one of the city's most serious rules; one that showed no mercy for merfolk in the practice of dark magic. 

In truth, Triton had showed Rowena much more mercy than she'd deserved, since the penalty for practicing such magic was death. But Gabriel had pleaded with his father for her exile instead, since feelings for her at that time had been of the romantic nature. He'd hoped that he would join her in exile and that they'd live happily together by themselves. But after she failed to show at their meeting point at the edge of the city, he'd slowly given up on that dream and immersed himself in his father's force along with Raphael and Lucifer. The betrayal stung worse than a moray eel, but he knew that in spite of the fact, he and the witch had an uncanny connection. And it certainly paid off today.

"Look, you can gloat all you want about this, but this is more than just about settling stupid scores. My father did you a service when he exiled you. Now I am asking for your help. And I don't like to beg, you know that Rowena." 

Gabriel couldn't lie, being a human was mind boggling and it made him feel vulnerable. His legs worked just fine and he owed Rowena for that. Only powerful magic like hers could teach a merman all the human things he needed to know in that exact instant. Which was why she was the one thing that could take Humora down with one simple word. But he knew the type of animal she was, and she'd make him beg and grovel at her feet before she ever lifted a finger to help the merfolk at Atlantis. 

"Yer father seems to be doing just fine without me." she sneered, sipping more of that blood red wine. 

"Rowena-" 

"Oh Gabriel, can't ye' see I'm happy where I am? I made a promise to myself that day that I was never going to go back to that place! That place where they threw broken corals and rotted shell corpses at me. Where they all chanted for my execution like some kind of benign incantation! I hope Humora roasts the lot of em!" 

"Don't do that." Gabriel sighed coolly as he leaned back in his chair. 

"Do what?" Rowena quipped pointedly. 

"That whole schtick where you pretend you don't care about anyone else but yourself. It's unbelievably lame and I don't ever buy it. So, will you help me or not?" 

After a resigned sigh, Rowena bowed her head curtly.  
"I don't exactly know what it is you think I can do." 

"Come back with me. Humora's got everyone locked up under a spell in her cave. She never takes her eyes off of us for fear of anyone escaping but there are moments when she disappears deep into the caverns with ingredients like she's concocting a spell of some sort." 

"It is precisely like Humora to keep what's under her control in her sights 24/7. But how did you escape then, without her seeing?"

Gabriel chuckled lowly.  
"Well, it seems that you've forgotten our bond. But I conveniently recalled that you would hear my call even in your exile. So the moment she went away, I called." 

"And I honoured our agreement. I manifested you onto the land the moment I heard ye'." Rowena quickly added in, as if that proved some merit on her behalf.

Gabriel nodded with indulgence, cocky grin on his face.   
"That was pretty cool, I've gotta say. How'd you do it anyway?"

Rowena met his grin head on with a playful smirk as she leaned over the table, leaning closer to him.

"It's all to do with blood."

Gabriel's grin dropped in a cold, sharp instant.   
"Blood?"

"Yes, don't ye' remember the pact we made before I was cruelly exiled? One small prick of the finger and two drops of blood and our connection was immediate. Of course you were out cold but, it worked." Rowena crooned proudly. 

"I was unconscious ...and you took my blood? Wouldn't exactly call that a connection Rowena!" Gabriel fumed, an unimpressed brow raised high into his hairline.   
"I mean we were close -but not that close!" 

"Well forgive me for saving yer hide Gabriel." Rowena sighed casually, her smirk growing wider as she winked cheekily at him. 

"Witches." Gabriel muttered shaking his head. 

.........  
Dean's childish pout stood out in great contrast to Sam and Cas's cheerful grins. King's port was alive today, with brilliant sunshine and blue skies, Dean just hated all the cheery crap going on around him today. He was just in a mood to grump and grouch and growl by himself all day, was that too much to ask? Apparently for Sam it was; he kept tossing these stern side glances at him everytime he rolled his eyes or made a sarcastic remark. 

Cas on the other hand, was like a little kid on Christmas. His huge blue eyes lit up with wonder as he took in the sites all around him. The people were all walking in two legs! And they walked the port city in pairs, by themselves or in large groups like a school of fish. Bright colours dazzled him as he stumbled on by, keeping a steady hold on Sam's arm to prevent himself from falling. There were a myriad of little colourful shops and stores that lined the walkways, selling a bunch of stuff that seemed alien to Cas, but he gazed in wonder at them anyway. 

Land was stunning! And human life was even more so. The air was cool and windy, billowing through his hair and making it go wild atop his head just like the water did. Only this felt lighter, liberating and much more graceful. And the sun; well, who would've thought that the sun could actually touch your skin on land! It cast a golden light all over his skin, making him glow. 

The smells were also a different experience as he inhaled deeply and caught the scent of things like sweet perfumes, food being fried, seared and grilled, as Sam explained to him. He said they had fried fish and that scared Cas a little. Reminded him of how his father used to say that humans were barbaric and cruel. And they'd waste no opportunity to kill merfolk. His smile lost some of its brilliance then and he sobered up real quick. Nothing was perfect right now, he thought. He'd been exiled, his people and his family were probably dying at the hands of Humora and there was nothing he could do about it. 

"Sam!" 

He broke out of his melancholy induced stupor at the sound of a female, woman as the sailors had called them, called out to Sam. She was pretty, with long and dark hair and a wide smile on her face. She jogged up towards them and waved in greeting. 

"Hey Ruby." Sam greeted, giving her a one-armed hug. 

"Hey Dean." Ruby greeted, her brows furrowing a bit at Cas. 

"This is Castiel. Cas this Ruby, a friend of ours." Sam introduced, as Ruby offered her hand out to Cas. He tilted his head in curiosity at it until Dean rolled his eyes and huffed with annoyance. Cas, extremely terrified at this new human girl reached out timidly, looking at Sam for approval before grasping Ruby's hand and shaking it. 

"Hello, Ruby." He greeted, nodding in her direction. She just smiled and went with it, the air of confusion and awkwardness long gone. 

"It's nice to meet you. So, Sam, how've you been?"

"It's been awesome, hang on." Sam quickly turned to Dean.

"Hey I'm just gonna hang with Ruby for a bit, why don't you and Cas spend some time together and take in the sites. I'll be right back." 

Sam took Cas's arm and linked it in Dean's before leaving with Ruby. Both of them just stood awkwardly in the middle of the city's boardwalk, with Dean shooting daggers at Sam's back as he walked away. Cas could feel the nauseating tension immediately rising between them and he just wanted to be left alone. His feelings for Dean never changed, but he already felt terrible for abandoning his family when they needed him the most, so he didn't need to feel worse about Dean's rejection. 

"I can sit here and wait for you and Sam." He suggested softly, as Dean unlinked their arms and held him by the wrist in a more impersonal way. Dean glanced at him as if the Gods had somehow answered his prayers and he grinned.

"Okay, cool. You sit right here buddy. I'll be back in a few." He said excitedly, cracking the first real smile for the day. It sort of broke Cas's heart all over again but he swallowed his pain and nodded with a smile as Dean helped him onto one of the wooden benches scattered there on the boardwalk. Dean was gone the minute he sat down, lost in the massive crowd of people in the city. 

Sam had left him some pieces of paper, he called it money, to buy food or whatever peaked his interest but he was too afraid to use it. Limiting his contact with humans other than Sam and Dean seemed like the safe thing to do. Well, Sam at least. Dean didn't even look at him after ...that day. Cas could remember the first time he saw him, barely clinging to life on that raft. He was so cold then, but Cas could still make out the warmth of life in his apple green eyes. Even then, Dean didn't seem as cold as he was now. It was as if he hated Cas, like he'd known how shallow he was. And how he abandoned his family to live out his wildest dreams in land. 

He shook his head in disappointment, looking over to the troves of people walking about like aimless fish out in the deep. Then he did a double take. That shade of red ....he'd recognize it anywhere! But the woman was all too human, convincingly so. He had to find out! Getting to his feet was a task, but he did it in a few minutes. His legs shook and trembled with the effort as he straightened out his knees whilst holding on to the bench for dear life. This could be his chance and he wasn't going to wait to find out. 

.......  
He'd seen the broken look in those blue eyes. Seen it and it hurt him more than he could have ever explained to Cas. Yet still, he did it. He jumped at the first opportunity to completely remove himself from the weird guy and left him looking like a kicked puppy on that bench. Dean shook his head as he walked through the crowd of people, just wanting to get some fresh air and be alone with his thoughts. 

He thought back to that kiss they'd shared after Cas had come out of the shower. It was perfect if Dean was being honest with himself. But there was something else that drew him to the boy. Something that felt like he knew him and wanted to know more about him. But ...Dean wasn't like ....that. He didn't ....he couldn't like Cas. He didn't have anything against it just ...he preferred women. He'd never had sex with a guy and by the looks of it, Cas seemed pretty submissive. All the reasoning in his head billowed away as he flashed back to reality and reached King's dock. The magnificent dock looked over the wide sea, the high noon light sparkling over the shimmering water. He leaned up against the rusted railings and sighed, finally getting a peace of mind. 

......  
"The shop is closed, if you want another reading you'll just have to come by tomorrow." Rowena informed, head down as she packed up her equipment and ingredients. 

"Rowena?" 

It only took one listen to that deep, raspy voice for Rowena to snap up from her packing to stare in disbelief at the boy standing in her dark little alleyway of a shop. 

It couldn't be.

"Do my eyes deceive me? Or is that the Jewel of Atlantis I see?" Rowena stood frozen at her table, voodoo doll clutched in her hand. She hadn't seen Castiel since her exile and to be honest, he was the last person she'd ever expected to see. 

"Castiel." She gasped, her breathing uneven. She could feel her heart throbbing in her chest, her eyes watering as her memories caught up to her. Flashbacks of a young Cas picking up shells with her and following her around like a little puppy. Castiel had been in her care when she'd been Triton's royal handmaid and medicine woman. It had been her job to take care and watch over the King. But Triton barely gave her the opportunity, always busy with politics. So, she instead was given the task of watching over little Cas. And she loved him. Loved him like a son. 

"Hello Rowena." Cas greeted, bowing his head slightly as he'd always harnessed some level of respect for the sea witch. He never saw her as a mother, just a really close friend he confided in. But he loved her dearly and he recalled his sorrow and unfathomable loss when he realized that she'd been exiled. He had even begged his own father to reconsider after the fact but didn't succeed. 

"So I suppose Gabriel found you?" Rowena quipped, her nose turned up, bashful. 

Cas frowned at that, leaning up on the wall to keep himself from swaying. 

"Gabriel? Why would he ...?" He began but trailed off when he saw her almost disappointed look. "Rowena?" 

A long moment of silence passed between them, the air thick with animosity. Cas couldn't understand the hostility he was picking up from Rowena but he disregarded it for impatience. And her silence revealed nothing yet it was loud. 

"You know something. Why did you speak of Gabriel?" 

She sighed, resigning into her chair much as she'd done with Gabriel. She motioned the chair opposite her and then snapped her finger. Cas frowned as he approached the chair and sat down. 

"What did you just do?" He demanded suspiciously. 

"Oh clam it junior. I just upgraded your bipedalism. Now you can walk, run, jump and skip to yer heart's content." She sassed, wrinkling up her pointed nose with glee. 

"Like a human." 

She observed him for a minute before smiling from the nostalgia.

"Well, you always did like these two legged things." 

"Why did you think that Gabriel found me Rowena?" Cas asked, the tenor of their conversation going somber at once. 

She sighed. "Because he came to me a couple of moons ago, looking for you." 

He gasped in shock and sheer joy at the revelation. "Gabriel's alive! That means they must've gotten out! They must've been freed from Humora's spell!" He cried, tears of relief springing to his eyes. It was confusing how tears fell even when he was happy on land. He'd always just thought they were for sadder times. 

"Afraid not little one. Gabriel only managed to escape because of a bond we made a long time ago." Rowena answered, her voice low and grave.   
If she was being honest with herself, Rowena would give anything, do any kind of spell to remove the devastated frown that befell Cas's face. She could see the tears forming in those ocean deep eyes, the guilt and the worry clouding in them. 

"Wh ....what d'you mean? I ...they're still ....you mean Humora still-?" He couldn't even finish the sentence as grief overcame him. 

"I ...I only know what Gabriel has told me. And so far, it doesn't look good for the merfolk." She answered, trying to sound as empathetic as possible. Truth was, she could really care less about Triton and his people. The two persons most important to her were on land, safe and sound. 

"You have to help me Rowena." Cas said suddenly, standing up with both of his hands stamped on the table like a politician. 

"Beg pardon?" 

"Please, you have to help me find Gabe and then the three of us can take down Humora! I know we can! We just need to come up with a plan. Using Gabe's battlefield strategy and your magic and my ....well, ...not really sure what I can do but I am fast. We can take her!" 

"Absolutely not." She scoffed, casually checking her perfectly manicured nails as if she didn't have a care in the world.

"What?" 

"I said no, Castiel." She quipped.

"But if we can just find Gabe-" Cas began again but she cut him off with a snap of her fingers.

"NO!" 

His huge blue eyes gazed sadly at her in bewilderment as he was stunned into a horrified silence. 

"Oh don't look at me like that, Cassie! You of all people knew what yer father did! I was good and never once had I ever wronged him. But the minute he found about my craft he had me exiled!" She snapped at him, now on her own feet as well. 

"He did that for your own good, you were about to be sentenced to death!" He cried in defense.

"Exile was just as bad as the alternative! I spent days, weeks, months cold and alone without anyone to talk to! Had to keep swimming for my life otherwise the unknowns of the abyss would've swallowed me whole! But did he care? Did any of you care?! No!" 

"Row-" .

"I loved you Cassie! Loved you like a son! And after my exile ....I didn't have that. All of it, everything, was taken away from me. I had nothing. And now you know what that feels like." 

Cas sighed in defeat, he did know the feeling. Although Rowena had committed a crime, the way they'd all treated her had been unfair. He never liked it and had often come into conflict with his father because of it. But exile was mercy. And Rowena was going to have to face that some day. 

"I wish it hadn't turned out like this. And Rowena I am truly sorry for what you went through. I'm also sorry for never defending your dignity because even though you practiced dark magic, your heart was always in the right place. I knew that and I should've fought harder on your behalf. I'm sorry." 

With that, he turned away with his head bowed and his throat constricted with emotion. He'd just have to find Gabriel on his own and then te two of them would have to salvage what they could from Humora. So many would die in the process, but they might be able to save a few. He thought of his brothers and his father ...and how good they'd had it. And now, how all of that was gone in a second. He couldn't even do things right up here in land; Dean refused to look him in the eye and Sam just felt sorry for him. They were good guys and they didn't deserve what he put on them. Humora should've taken him instead, he thought with poisonous conviction towards himself. 

When he reached the door he heard her speak again. "The next full moon." She said simply. 

"What happens then?" He muttered, eyes downcast, hand on the door handle. 

"The next full moon is in three days. The potion should be ready by then, and you will be one-tailed again. In the meantime, I shall locate Gabriel and send him to you." 

A monotone "thank you" follows.

...........  
Dean was going out of his freaking mind. He'd literally only been gone for half an hour, where the hell did Cas go? He'd even brought back two grilled cheese sandwiches for them to eat. His hopes were too high he guessed, as he returned with a smile on his face and the intention of apologizing, only to find the bench empty, abandoned. He'd been standing in the same spot since then, for twenty minutes with two greasy-ass sandwiches and a dumb look on his face. He spotted Sam approaching from a distance and dropped his head back tiredly. 

"Oh crap." 

"Hey." Sam said, a bit too cheerfully before his smile went sour as he realized that Cas was nowhere to be seen. "Dean, what the hell did you do?" 

"What? Why do I always have to do something?" Dean grouched, glaring at Sam impatiently.

"Because you always do Dean!" Sam fired back.

"Look, I just left to get us some sandwiches! I told him to wait right here and when I came back, he was gone." 

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly.   
"Okay, look just, let's try to find him." 

"Shouldn't be too hard, I mean he's the only one who'll be walking like he's got one leg." Dean scoffed missing the deadly glare Sam shot him as he scanned the crowd for Cas. 

"What was he wearing again?" 

Dean snorted. "My black jeans and my green shirt." 

Sam rolled his eyes and just kept on looking.   
"I'm gonna ask around. You take this way and then we'll meet up by the car if it gets too late." 

Dean nodded, checking his phone. 6:45PM. He really hoped that Cas hadn't left because of him and his behavior but a small, self-loathing voice in the back of his head begged to differ. Of course he ran away from you asshat! Now he really felt bad. 

"Dammit." He sighed, turning to check the boardwalk.

"Cas?!" 

He was greeted with the sight of a slightly miffed Castiel, blue eyes squinting with his head tilted in that adorable way he always did. He stood there without the support of some immovable and inanimate object, drowning in Dean's black jeans and green Bon Jovi tee. His hair was a bit frayed and stood atop his head in every direction but other than that he seemed okay. 

"Where the hell were you man? Sam and I were worried." Dean fussed, looking him over like a panicking parent. When Cas didn't answer, just simply lowered his gaze to the floor, he got a bit more concerned. 

"Cas?" 

No answer. Just got more pensive and brooding. 

"Hey, Cas. Buddy, you okay?" Dean tried again, this time shaking him by the shoulders. But he still refused to answer. So, Dean shook him harder.

"Cas! Look at me man! What the hell happened? Where were you? Are you alright?" 

Finally Cas raised his head and stared straight into Dean's eyes. And what Dean saw there, he didn't like. Those beautiful aquamarine orbs that were usually so full of light and wonder now suddenly seemed dull and lifeless. Cas was glaring blankly at him. 

"Do you even care?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me if y'all liked it, loved it or hated it. I'm cool with it. I've also done a few one-shots that I've written, so y'all can read those if you want. I'm still writing, not gonna leave this fic cos it's special to me. Anyway, DESTIEL forever. Much love, Sam.


	12. Chapter 12 -Singin' With A Stolen Set of Pipes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean wants to talk. Cas snuggles into his pillow to listen, whilst pretending he's asleep. Can they come to some sort of understanding?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MAH GAWD i have had the worst semester everrrrrr and it has taken a toll on my writing. I do sincerely apologise to those who have been waiting for so long. If I could meet every single one of you just to let you guys punch me I would. But I can't. So y'all can punish me in the comments. It's what happens when you're a final year history & archaeology student. Sighs, this chapter was a bitch and I personally don't find it satisfying...but I promise you i will be writing and updating soon. Much love, Sam_Haine

Chapter 12 -Singin' With A Stolen Set of Pipes

Dean sighed in disappointment as Cas hurried to his room and closed the door shut. They'd just gotten home and Sam barely had time to close the front door before Cas was in the solitude of his room; away from Dean. He couldn't blame him though, Dean had been a total dick to him for the past couple of weeks and if Dean was being honest with himself, it was about damn time that Cas fired back. Dean just wishes he didn't have to be so cold. It wasn't the Cas he'd gotten used to; all sweet and awkward and quirky. Now he just seemed distant and cold and wounded. Much like he'd been when they first found him. 

Lost deep in thought he barely heard Sam's "goodnight" and only realised that he was alone in the kitchen when the lights turned off, leaving him in a soft darkness. He slowly made his way upstairs, stopping briefly in front of Cas's door before proceeding to take a shower. Under the spray he swore that every time he got in there, it was to sort out his mental state like the guys in the movies did. Deep angst crashed over his head, drenching him in cold as he dropped his head like a guilty toddler who'd gotten caught with his hands in the cookie jar. Cas was obviously troubled when they'd found him on the docks. Something was wrong and Dean was dying to know if he'd been the cause and if so, how could he fix it? Hell, he'd been meaning to fix things between him and Cas for weeks now. But he would always pussy out at the last moment and end up cold-shouldering the poor guy. It wasn't Cas's fault; Dean was the idiot who kissed him in the first place. Damn. So conflicted.

...........  
The soft and hesitant movements on the other side of the door alerted Cas and caused his heart to jump straight up into his throat. But then it ceased and walked dejectedly away from his room. And his heart slowly sank into impassioned misery. He sighed heavily before melting into a puddle under his blanket, the soft material brushing deliciously against his naked skin. He was certain that it was Dean who had been behind his door just a few moments ago and though he harboured feelings of irritation and anger at the green-eyed wonder, he'd secretly hoped that he'd come into his room and kiss him and say that he was sorry. Cas scoffed at that particular thought, feeling incredibly stupid for being such an avid hopeful-romantic.

It was clear that Dean didn't want him like that and Cas forced himself to be grateful for the hospitality he'd been granted by both of the Winchester brothers. It seemed as if everyone was right, he thought wistfully. His father, his brothers, Humora; they all warned him against his own stupidity, his crazy love for mankind. And he ignored all of them. His own selfishness cost him his family and his entire kingdom, not to mention his life. Here in the dark, he rested on his side, his cheek pressed hard into the silky pillow, a single tear escaping his eye. It was his fault the entire kingdom of Atlantis was at the mercy of Humora and her goons. It was his fault Lucifer and Meg couldn't have their family in peace. His fault Rowena got cast out of the palace and forced into exile. His fault Gabriel was currently human and alone out there somewhere looking for him. And it was his fault Dean was upset all the time. He made Dean mad and now there was nothing he could do to fix any of their problems. He couldn't make Dean love him ....if he didn't. Dean was just the human he rescued from the depths of the ocean. And Cas was just the boy Dean rescued from the depths of the ocean. Luci was right; love wasn't all magical and mysterious. It was a nasty and conniving thing that took away dreams and replaced them with nightmares. 

Cas was sobbing quietly and clutching the pillow with a death grip by the time his mind had started to shut down for sleep. The tear tracks on his face were cold now and his heart didn't seem to hurt that much. Just left a sore throbbing in his chest. His eyes were closed and he began drifting off into that dark nothingness when the door softly creaked open. He could hear someone step in, feel a narrow ray of light from the hallway shine on his back before it was all gone and the door closed again. But the soft breathing and a rustle of clothes alerted him that someone was still in his room. Standing behind him, while he pretended to be asleep. Something told him it was Dean and he felt his heart beat a million times faster at the thought. He felt a dip in the space on the bed behind him and fought the urge to squeak. 

"Cas?" 

Cas swore his entire body got giddy when Dean rumbled his name quietly in the dark. He felt the hairs on his skin raise and never settle because Dean being this close to him while he lay naked in bed wasn't something that was normal. No. It was under the "surreal" category. He could feel his chest rising and falling rapidly as Dean called his name softly ....sweetly, again. 

"Cas please ....are- ...are you awake?" 

It seemed as if they were both waiting in stoic silence after that. Cas hanging on to every word that Dean said; and Dean, waiting for a lifeline from Cas. It wasn't rushed like all the times before and Cas could feel the regret in Dean's tone. It made his heart soar with a burning pain that had Cas feeling lightheaded. Like he was dying but happy about it all the same. Maybe this was the love Gabriel had once spoken of. The very same love that his father had once alluded to his mother, Hanias. Maybe this was the same love that Lucifer felt for Meg. He smiled slightly in the dark and sighed to indicate his consciousness to Dean. 

The green-eyed human didn't reply immediately but rather took the time to breathe and gather his thoughts calmly. He sat on the edge of the bed, feet on the floor and head in his hands. They both still faced away from each other, back to back; oceans apart. But Cas had never felt closer to Dean than he did right now. He wanted to turn around and curl himself up in Dean's arms and stay there like a barnacle, forever. The emotions washing over him were suddenly reminiscent of when he'd first encountered the human, lying on that flat piece of rock, just barely clinging to life. And although the special place that first encounter held could never be imitated again, Cas thought that this one could very well come in close second. And with that in mind, he squared his shoulders mentally and prepared himself for whatever Dean had to say. 

"I haven't been fair to you ever since- ...ever since that day." 

'That was true.' Cas thought snidely. 

He paused for a second before continuing with an unsteady breath. 

"Look, I know you probably hate me right now...".

'No I don't hate you.'

"And I'm not looking for sympathy ...or empathy or whatever. But I just want you to know that I'm sorry."

'Wait ....what?'

"I was the messed up one and I kissed you and it felt s .....felt good. And I wanted to ...I wanted to keep on kissing you and- God I don't know what the hell I'm saying." 

'I don't either but keep going!'

Dean took a deep, gasping breath.

"Cas I ...I wanted to have this thing with you .....if you understand what I mean. It's just, I'm not used to this. M'not used to these kinds of feelings for ...other people. Y'know? I mean I don't wanna make you think that I'm some kind of douchebag but, usually I'm the "love em and leave em" type. I never stick around long enough to have feelings. But ...there's something about you ...and it scares me. I mean I like it ...but it scares the hell outta me. You're sweet, funny ....and cute. Never used cute to describe a guy before- look, the point is, I'm sorry."

Cas was smiling like a Cheshire cat by then, happy tears rolling down his cheeks. Dean liked him! The crazy knucklehead had finally admitted it! The new revelation put his previously dismal thoughts about his family and Rowena and his own pathetic self to the background and the only thing that mattered in that moment was Dean, sitting beside him, professing his feelings and all that romance. If Gabe could see him now, he thought wryly. 

"Will you forgive me?" Dean's soft voice interrupted his train of thought, thankfully, and he slowly turned around to face the sullen human. 

He was shocked into stillness when they met face to face ...and he saw the true depth of sincerity that was masked by the nonchalance in Dean's voice. Those downcast green eyes held a millennium of sorrow and regret in their depths. Cas immediately understood then that Dean was not a very emotional person or at least he disliked showing his true emotions to anyone but himself. So for him, this confession had to have been genuinely how he felt. And the simple fact just made Cas's tiny heart do backflips in his chest. He smiled at the man shyly before showing his forgiveness the only way he knew how; with a big, warm hug. 

Dean's grunt of surprise made him smile even wider as he squeezed his arms around the man tighter. His father had always told him that his hugs were the best, regardless of the fact that they could very well squeeze the life out of a person. It was an overzealous, grossly sincere way to show Dean that he forgave him the moment he walked into that room, but Cas didn't care anymore. His brother was safe, at least for now, he had found a way to go back home to fix his mess, thanks to Rowena, and the best of all; Dean wasn't angry at him. 

Dean's hands wrapped hesitantly around him and Cas shivered in pleasant shock as the human's large hands splayed across his naked back. His smile grew even wider and he breathed in deep relief as he snuggled his head into Dean's warm neck. He never knew what love was. Hell, he never even saw it up close. But this ...this moment right here, huddled like a newborn in Dean's arms feeling safe and sound, even with the uncertainty of tomorrow looming in the distance ...it all felt like something akin to love. And he could already feel himself becoming addicted to it. 

Dean chuckled softly and it rumbled deep in his chest. Cas blushed bright at the sound as it echoed in his ear feeling stupidly smug that he was the only one who could both hear and feel Dean's chuckle. 

"So ...I'm forgiven?" 

The hesitant hopefulness in Dean's voice made Cas's heart swell and he nodded fervently. The sullen look marring Dean's beautiful face suddenly lifted and was replaced by a huge grin that made his green eyes glow emerald in the dark. He slid his hand slowly up Cas's naked back and up into his unruly dark hair, tightening the strands around his fingers, stroking. When Cas closed his eyes and began purring like a touch-spoiled kitten he laughed out loud but kept petting and stroking him. 

"Can I kiss you Cas?" He murmured softly in the dark. 

There was an audible gulp from Cas as he nodded slightly at Dean, blue eyes glowing with wamth. He wasn't sure if he was ready for such a big moment but damn it all to hell he wasn't going to turn down a kiss from his favourite two-leg! An adorable grin suddenly widened his lips and he could feel his face heat up as Dean suddenly began inching closer to him. His emerald eyes were hooded and smoky and Cas panicked for a moment, backing away timidly from the kiss. When hurt flashed across Dean's features he immediately moved to assure him. 

"No!" He whispered out in a gasping breath. "No, please do not think I am rejecting your romantic advances. I'm just ...I mean ....I'm scared." 

Dean smiled wryly at him and leaned in close as if he were about to tell a big secret ....and it probably was. "Hey, it's okay Cas. I'm a little scared too." 

Blue eyes widened in shock then as Cas's heart hammered in his chest at the revelation. He barrelled into Dean again for another reassuring hug, purring at the contact. He felt Dean's fingertips push lightly under his chin, raising his gaze to the other's. And being this close to Dean felt suddenly like the deepest calm in the world, so he closed his eyes and waited for the magic to happen. 

He felt soft wisps of breath touch his face and he smiled meekly before extremely soft appendages touched his own lips and blew him away. He opened his eyes in pleasant shock to see Dean's eyes closed, concentrated on the task of kissing himself a merman. Cas swallowed as if he were dying of thirst before imitating Dean's actions and kissing back. Dean's hands slid sensually down his naked back and up again, coming to rest in his hair, fingers tugging gently at the soft strands. Not too well informed on what to do with his hands, Cas replicated Dean and wrapped his arms around the human, pulling him flush with his body. 

The soft but heated kisses went on for some time before he pulled back just to stare at Dean, whose eyes were now dark and wide with emotion. Cas's heart almost did a flip as he got a flashback to the dawn he'd found Dean alone and close to death, stranded out in the ocean's cruel expanse. His eyes had been the same colour of longing then ...only, it had been a longing for life. Now, the darkened emeralds seemed to be longing for him; and that excited him greatly. He could feel the passionate throbbing between his legs again as Dean moved his hands from his hair and slid them down his bare back before dropping to his slim waist and staying there. 

"Dean?" He murmured, making sure his tone was appropriate in the intimate setting of the dark room. Dean smiled shyly at him and squeezed his clutch on Cas's waist. He kissed the mermaid again, just a slight peck on the lips before arranging them on the bed more comfortably; his back against the headboard, pulling Cas into his lap. When the sheets slipped away to reveal his naked body, Dean gasped out loud, his eyes riveted to the shadowed area between Cas's thighs. 

"C ...Cas, you ...you don't have a ..." He began, almost instantly losing the ability for coherent thought. 

Cas winced outright before lowering his gaze to the infernal throbbing where Humora had completely altered his genitalia. He suddenly felt awkward sitting on Dean's lap, naked with his legs spread on either side of the man's body. He could feel his cheeks burn with shame and he immediately began to clamber off but was halted by strong, warm hands on his hips. 

"Hey, hey wait." Dean murmured pulling him in for a hug, his nose buried in Cas's neck.   
"It's okay Cas I swear." 

Cas shook his head, letting a sob escape his lips as he planted his face into Dean's shoulder. If only he could explain his abnormality.   
"No it's not." He whispered, a single tear rolling down his cheek. He heard Dean chuckle and it caused his chest to reverberate with the sound. Cas rather liked that. 

"Were you born with that?" Dean asked, almost too politely, it made Cas want to cringe. But he figured it would be easier to say yes, since it was the first and only time he would ever do something like this with Dean. He leaned back slightly to stare into Dean's eyes before nodding innocently. He had an allure ...might as well use it when it counted. 

"Are ...Are you angry?" He questioned timidly, his voice soft and small in the expanse of the darkened room. He felt Dean's chest rumble again as the man lowered him to the mattress and hovered over his prone form. Dean pressed a quick kiss on his lips before shaking his head. 

"No, I'm not. In fact, I'm actually quite pleased about this." The green-eyed man had a wry and mischievous grin on his face that instantly put all of Cas's fears to rest. It didn't seem mocking or sly, just, wonderful. He leaned closer to plant another wet kiss on Cas's lips before sliding off all of his sleepwear. He hovered over Cas again, this time going for his neck, teeth, tongue and lips working hard to ease sweet, melodious moans out of the merman. Cas felt his heart rate accelerate immensely as Dean's teeth grazed a particular region of his neck that made his hair stand up on end and made between his legs extremely wet. 

"Oh, Dean." Cas moaned, biting his lip as Dean's lips migrated to his heaving chest, laving and gently sucking at his perked nipples. The squeak from Cas's mouth was completely undignified and he'd never admit he made the sound, but Dean chuckled sexily as he continued to bite and nibble and suck. Cas meant to wrap his fingers in Dean's soft hair but the appendages just slipped right through when Dean slid lower along his tiny mer-body, and settled right between his legs.   
"Dean?" Cas asked softly, unsure about what was about to happen. He figured it was something big though, judging from the predatory gaze Dean flicked his way. 

"Shh, sweetheart. I think you're gonna like this." Dean rumbled, pushing Cas's legs open wide, exposing his wet center. Out of shyness he moved to pull his knees together but Dean stopped him with an earnest smile. "You trust me right?" 

Cas didn't even hesitate to nod. And Dean replied with a curt but tender "good" before going down between his thighs, lips brushing Cas's most virgin region. He gasped out loud, probably waking up Sam three rooms over, but couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. Because Dean's tongue was doing something extraordinary to his ...what was the human term for this thing? 

"You like that? Huh? Like when I eat your pussy Cas?" 

Ah, that's what humans called it, a pussy. Well whatever Dean was doing, it felt life-changing, on a universal level. He heard himself wail out a desperate "yes" in response to Dean's question and gasped out again when Dean's wet tongue licked deep into the folds of wet skin, almost touching him from the inside out. His thighs wrapped around Dean's head of their own accord but the human didn't seem to mind. Just kept licking ...and driving him absolutely insane. So much so that Cas suddenly felt as if he was about to reach some great climax of epic proportions and he had to clench his fingers in Dean's hair to stop him. 

"St-uh! Stop... wait! N-uh!" Was all he managed to get out before he felt warm wetness just explode out of him, drenching his pussy and driving Dean wild as the man intensified eating him out. Dean was reduced to deep, low and harsh grunts as he kept on licking and sucking at Cas's pussy. When he finally raised his head from between those quivering legs, his lips were glossed with a wet sheen and Cas blushed ridiculously pink. There was a maddened loom in Dean's emerald orbs as he kept looking at Cas with hooded eyes, tongue coming out seductively to lick at his own lips. 

He carefully disentangled Cas's thighs from around his neck before slowly crawling up the boy's body, coming face to face with a very disoriented and very fucked out-looking Cas. He smiled brightly at him before grunting in surprise as Cas rushed to kiss him desperately on the lips. When Dean pulled back, Cas was trembling. 

"Hey, are you okay? Did I hurt you?" He asked gently, holding Cas's face in his hands trying to initiate eye contact from the now red-faced boy. 

"W..what just happened?" 

Dean felt his heart melt a little in his chest and crushed Cas to his chest comfortingly. "I'm sorry, I forgot for a second. You've really never done this before, have you?" He sighed, running soothing fingers through that dark beautiful hair. He felt Cas shake his head in response and he smiled softly. 

"It's okay Cas. You didn't do anything wrong. You were perfect. And I enjoyed it." 

Cas hastily looked up at him.  
"What about you? You didn't. ...y'know ..." He flustered.

"I didn't what? Come?" He grinned, loving the way Cass entire face lit up to his ears before he nodded. 

"I didn't. But that's cool. I wanted to make sure you felt good. .....did you? Y'know, feel good?"

Now it was Dean's turn to feel insecure. 

Luckily Cas wasn't that evil and simply nodded again, curling up into Dean's chest, hoping to rest there for the remainder of forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMC did you guys see Jack!!!!???! I love him honestly! He's my child I swear! I claim him! UGH! Hope Season 13 so far has been incredible for you guys as it has been for me! Total class from those guys as usual!


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